Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's 'Fjord' wins top prize at Cannes

Fjord, a culture-war drama about an immigrant family living in Norway, won the Palme D'Or for best film at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve and marks Cristian Mungiu’s second Palme D'Or, following his 2007 win for 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days. In his acceptance speech, Mungiu said the film took risks by speaking openly about shared but unsaid realities, and he urged artists to tackle current issues despite discomfort. He described society as split and radicalized, and presented the film as a pledge against fundamentalism, supporting tolerance, inclusion, and empathy. Barbra Streisand received an Honorary Palme D'Or via video message, praising cinema’s ability to unite people. Other acting awards went to All of a Sudden and Coward.

"Fjord, which centers on an immigrant family living in Norway, received the Palme D'Or for best film during the closing ceremony held at the Grand Theatre Lumiere in Cannes, France. It stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. It's the second Palme D'Or for Mungiu, who received his first in 2007 for the film 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days."

"In his acceptance speech, Mungui said that, in making 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." And he urged artists to tackle current issues, however uncomfortable. "Today, the society is split, it's divided, it's radicalized," he said."

""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.""

"Actress Barbra Streisand, who received the festival's third Honorary Palme D'Or, could not attend in person because of a knee injury but thanked everyone in a video message. "In a crazy, volatile world that seems more fractured every day, it's reassuring to see the compelling movies at this festival by artists from many countries," Streisand said. "Film has that magical ability to unite us, opening our hearts and minds.""

Read at www.npr.org