Cannes got it wrong this year by awarding Palme d’Or to Cristian Mungiu’s very moderate Fjord

What happened

According to The Guardian’s source item, Cannes got it wrong this year by awarding Palme d’Or to Cristian Mungiu’s very moderate Fjord, Film about a couple on trial for child abuse isn’t a patch on the director’s previous Palme winner, while other disappointing films seemed to grab the jury’s attention These were the prizes for a Cannes under pressure. The Hollywood A-listers and big-hitters were A-listing and big-hitting at home this year. And what about the international heavyweights from Europe and Asia that highbrow festivaliers are always saying are loads better than the Americans anyway? Well, many of those only showed up in the physical sense. For me, most of the films from the accepted laureates and auteurs were very moderate, and I have to confess being sceptical about this year’s Palme d’Or, Fjord , by Romanian film-maker Cristian Mungiu (who won the Palme nearly 20 years ago with his searing abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). Fjord is, in fact, a perfect example of an established European star direc

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Culture file for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-23T22:39:07+00:00.

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Source

Primary source: Cannes got it wrong this year by awarding Palme d’Or to Cristian Mungiu’s very moderate Fjord via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.