CANNES — Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's film Fjord received the Palme d'Or for best film at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, awarded during the closing ceremony at the Grand Théâtre Lumière in Cannes, France. The honor marked Mungiu's second Palme d'Or, following his 2007 win for 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.
Fjord centers on an immigrant family living in Norway and stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. The film is set on the remote edges of Norway, with its central characters being the Gheorghiu family, consisting of Romanian Mihai, his Norwegian wife Lisbet, and their five children.
Accepting the award, Mungiu addressed the themes of the film. "We took the risk to speak aloud about things that many of us know and many of us share … but don't dare to say in public," he said.
Mungiu also described the film's message in broader terms. "This film is a pledge against any kind of fundamentalism. It's a pledge for the things we quote very, very often, like tolerance and inclusion and empathy. … These are lovely words, but we need to apply them more often," he said.
Twenty-two films competed for the Palme d'Or at this year's festival. Among the competitors were two American films, The Man I Love, directed by Ira Sachs, and Paper Tiger, directed by James Gray.
Stan is an Oscar nominee. Reinsve received an Oscar nomination for her role in Sentimental Value. The cinematographer for Fjord is Tudor Vladimir Panduru.