ITALY PERSPECTIVE

Rome, May 23, 2026. The 79th Cannes Film Festival concluded with an awards slate that Italian press describes as "sorprendente"—surprising for its multiple ties and recognition of deliberately European and political cinema. The Palme d'Or went to Romanian director Cristian Mungiu for "Fjord," nineteen years after his first consecration on the Croisette in 2007 for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days." "Fjord" tells the story of the Gheorghiu family—a Romanian father and Norwegian mother—who settle in an isolated village by a fjord. When injuries are discovered on their child at school, the parents find themselves at the center of a violence investigation, caught in the machinery of Norwegian social institutions. La Repubblica emphasizes that the film interrogates the contradictions of a society that proclaims itself tolerant but enforces its norms with blind rigidity. Italian press is unanimous in seeing a work that "interrogates the viewer about their own convictions." In his acceptance speech, Mungiu declared: "Today's societies are fragmented, radicalized. This film is a commitment against all forms of fundamentalism—it is a message of tolerance, inclusion, empathy." ANSA particularly notes this statement in a ceremony where multiple speeches invoked ongoing wars, from Russia to Palestine. The other major figure of the evening, according to Italian correspondents, is exiled Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev, who won the Grand Prix for "Minotaur." From the Cannes stage, he directly addressed Vladimir Putin: "Millions of people on both sides of the front line dream of only one thing: that the massacres cease. End this carnage." Italian press underscores the symbolic power of this moment. For Adnkronos, one detail captures national attention: actor Pierfrancesco Favino took the stage to present the award for best female performance to Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for "All of a Sudden." His presence illustrates Italy's place in the Cannes ecosystem. The same outlet notes that French filmmaker Emmanuel Marre's "Our Salvation," awarded for best screenplay, will be released in Italy under the title "Un uomo del tuo tempo." The remainder of the lineup confirms the resolutely non-Hollywood tone of this edition: directing prize shared between Spaniards Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi ("La Bola Negra") and Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski ("Fatherland"), Jury Prize to German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach for "Das geträumte Abenteuer." Italy notes an awards slate where Central and Eastern Europe has asserted its vision of auteur cinema engaged with present-day fractures.