Romanian director Cristian Mungiu has won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, for his Norway-set drama "Fjord." Awarded on May 23 by a jury chaired by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, this marks the second time Mungiu has received the honor, following his 2007 win for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days."
Starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, "Fjord" is a culture-war drama based on true events. The story follows a Romanian IT specialist who relocates his family to a Norwegian village where his wife was born, leading to a clash of values between religious conservatism and social liberalism. Mungiu described the film as an exploration of political polarization and "left-wing fundamentalism," questioning the supposedly progressive values of Scandinavian society.
The 79th edition of the festival was noted for the absence of Hollywood films and was described by some as comparatively muted. In addition to Mungiu's win, the jury presented the Grand Prix to "Minotaur" by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev.