Eleven days of cinema, twenty-two films in competition, a jury chaired for the first time in history by a South Korean filmmaker, and, at the end of the red carpet, a Romanian triumph. On Saturday 23 May, the jury of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival delivered its verdict, awarding the supreme prize to Fjord*, a film by the Romanian director about the rise of a conflict between two families in a remote Norwegian village. Cristian Mungiu had already been crowned in 2007 at Cannes for* 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days: he now joins the very exclusive club of double Palme d’Or winners. The story of an edition that was at once political, glamorous, and profoundly cinephile.

The Jury in Full

For this 79th edition, the Festival opted for a resolutely global geography. Chaired by Park Chan-wook, director, screenwriter and producer from South Korea, the Official Competition jury brought together eight figures from every continent:

• Demi Moore, actress (United States)
• Ruth Negga, actress (Ethiopia, Ireland)
• Laura Wandel, director and screenwriter (Belgium)
• Diego Céspedes, director and screenwriter (Chile)
• Isaach De Bankolé, actor (Ivory Coast, United States)
• Paul Laverty, screenwriter (United Kingdom)
• Chloé Zhao, director, screenwriter and editor (China)
• Stellan Skarsgård, actor (Sweden)

A diversity championed by Iris Knobloch and Thierry Frémaux, who had never before assembled around the same table such a mix of European auteurs, Hollywood stars, and emerging filmmakers.

The Defining Moments of the 2026 Edition

A poster that looks in the rearview mirror. The official artwork, designed by Hartland Villa, brought back to life Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon on the set of Thelma & Louise (1991) by Ridley Scott, the closing film of the 44th edition. A feminist nod at a moment when the industry is still healing its post-#MeToo wounds.

Eye Haïdara, mistress of ceremonies. The French actress presented this film festival as an “act of resistance” that “transcends cultures,” setting the tone from the opening ceremony onward.

A politically charged start. The edition opened against a backdrop of controversy. Ahead of the festival, 600 figures from the film industry — including Juliette Binoche and Adèle Haenel — denounced Vincent Bolloré’s “grip” on French cinema. The open letter loomed over the entire fortnight. Pedro Almodóvar broke “the silence” against “the monsters that are Trump, Netanyahu and Putin.” Javier Bardem denounced violence against women.

The opening film. The French period comedy The Electric Kiss by Pierre Salvadori launched the festivities on 12 May.

Two Honorary Palmes d’Or. Two Honorary Palmes d’Or were awarded: to New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson, and to American actress, singer and filmmaker Barbra Streisand. Eye Haïdara, joined by Elijah Wood, presented the honor to Peter Jackson, the New Zealand director famous for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, who delivered a humble acceptance speech: “It’s almost miraculous, because I never imagined I would win a Palme one day.”

Memorable red carpet moments. Léa Seydoux, Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Marion Cotillard for Guillaume Canet’s Karma, the moving return of Ken Loach, and even the controversial appearance of Kevin Spacey, boycotted by Hollywood. A certain Rami Malek discovered the Croisette for Ira Sachs’s The Man I Love.

The four-legged star. As every year, the Palm Dog honored a canine performer: the dog Yuri.

The Complete Award List of the 79th Edition

Palme d’Or: Fjord by Cristian Mungiu

Grand Prix: Minotaur by Andrey Zvyagintsev

Jury Prize: The Dreamed Adventure by Valeska Grisebach

Best Director (tied): Fatherland by Paweł Pawlikowski and La Bola Negra by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi

Best Actress (tied): Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for their performances in All of a Sudden by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Best Actor (tied): Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne for their performances in Coward by Lukas Dhont

Best Screenplay: A Man of His Time (Notre salut) by Emmanuel Marre

Caméra d’Or: Ben’imana by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

Short Film Palme d’Or: For the Opponents (Aux adversaires) by Federico Luis

A palmarès that gave plenty of room to ties — perhaps a sign of a willingly consensual jury, eager to honor broadly rather than to cut sharply. France was not left out, with the Best Screenplay prize going to Emmanuel Marre and his unflinching portrait of a Vichy civil servant, while Belgium scooped both Best Actor honors thanks to Lukas Dhont’s Coward.

Looking Ahead to 2027

The lights had barely dimmed on the 79th edition before the Croisette turned its gaze toward May 2027, which will mark the 80th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. A symbolic milestone for an event born in 1939 and effectively launched in 1946 — eighty editions of cinema, debates, scandals, and masterpieces. Iris Knobloch and Thierry Frémaux are already preparing a vintage worthy of the occasion, whose contours remain confidential. One thing is certain: between retrospectives, tributes to the Festival’s great figures, and a new generation of filmmakers, the 2027 edition promises to be a moment of living memory. The date is set.