The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival concluded last night. The jury, chaired this year by director Park Chan-wook, delivered a politically and socially charged awards list, marked by a historic series of ties in the main categories.
Below is a detailed account of all the awards presented during the closing ceremony.
The Official Awards
Palme d'Or
Fjord by Cristian Mungiu (Romania). The Romanian director officially joins the exclusive club of filmmakers who have won the Palme d'Or twice. Co-starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, Fjord is a moral thriller centered on the ideological and educational clash between a religious family and a progressive community within a Norwegian fjord.
Grand Prix
Minotaur by Andrey Zvyagintsev (Russia). A tense and violent drama focusing on the downward spiral of a corporate executive in contemporary Russia.
Best Director (Tie)
Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (Los Javis) for La bola negra (Spain)
Paweł Pawlikowski for Fatherland (Poland/United Kingdom)
Best Actress (Tie)
Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for All of a Sudden by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Best Actor (Tie)
Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne for Coward by Lukas Dhont
Jury Prize
The Dreamed Adventure by Valeska Grisebach (Germany)
Best Screenplay
Emmanuel Marre for Notre Salut (A Man of His Time) (France)
Behind the scenes: three backstage stories from the 2026 edition
Beyond the awards coverage, the final evening offered some moments and statistical data that are sure to spark discussions among enthusiasts and industry insiders in the coming weeks:
NEON's record among distributors
With the victory of Fjord, the American distribution company NEON secured the North American distribution rights for the Palme d'Or for the seventh consecutive year (a record streak that began in 2019 with Parasite). This fact solidifies the brand's position as a leading reference point for auteur cinema overseas.
The "case" of the missing trophy on stage
The triple tie in the Best Director category caused a minor logistical hiccup during the live broadcast. Only one physical statuette was present on stage for three directors. Xavier Dolan, tasked with the presentation alongside the jury, improvised a comedic lightening moment on stage, concluded by Pawlikowski's quip, ironically calling the situation "a terrible mise-en-scène".
The Honorary Palme d'Or to Barbra Streisand
One of the most institutional moments of the ceremony was the awarding of the lifetime achievement prize to Barbra Streisand. Unable to attend Cannes in person, the actress and director entrusted Isabelle Huppert with accepting the award, sending a video message of thanks in which she recalled her historic cinematic education tied to European cinema masters like Truffaut, Fellini, and Bergman.
