Director Moonju's "Fjord" Wins Cannes Palme d'Or... Second Victory in 19 Years

Park Chan-wook Heads Jury

Three Directors and Four Actors Share Top Awards

Christian Moonju's film "Fjord" has won the Palme d'Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Director Na Hong-jin's "Hope," the first Korean film in four years to compete in the main competition, failed to win an award.

Director Christian Moonju. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On May 23 (local time), Director Moonju received the top honor at the closing ceremony held at the Lumière Grand Theatre in Cannes, France, marking his second Palme d'Or win 19 years after his 2007 triumph with "4 Months, 2 Weeks and 2 Days." He has become the eleventh director to win the Palme d'Or more than once.

He commented, "Today's society is becoming increasingly divided and radicalized. Our film is a declaration against all forms of extremism and a message of tolerance, inclusion, and empathy."

"Fjord" tells the story of a Romanian-Norwegian couple who move to a remote village and clash with their neighbors over parenting and religious issues.

The Grand Prix was awarded to Andrey Zvyagintsev's "Minotaur." Set in Russia in 2022, the film depicts a successful CEO whose life is thrown into turmoil both inside and outside the company. Accepting the award while exiled in France, Director Zvyagintsev criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine from the stage. He declared, "The massacre must stop," and added, "The only person who can end this slaughter is President Vladimir Putin. The whole world is waiting."

The Best Director award was shared by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for "La Bola Negra" and by Pawel Pawlikowski for "Fatherland."

"La Bola Negra," based on an unfinished play by Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, weaves together the stories of three men from 1932, 1937, and 2017, connecting their desires and wounds. When it premiered at Cannes, it received a 20-minute standing ovation.

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

"Fatherland" is an 82-minute black-and-white film set in 1940s Germany, depicting Nobel laureate Thomas Mann and his daughter as they journey across a divided Germany. Director Pawlikowski emphasized, "It takes courage to resist dictators and bullies, but it also takes courage to resist noise, algorithms, and peer pressure."

The Best Actress award went to Virginie Efira and Okamoto Tao for their roles in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "Suddenly the Condition Worsens." The two actors delicately portrayed a nursing home administrator and an experimental theatre director who discover a deep bond through their respective work.

The Best Actor award was presented to Emmanuel Maquia and Valentin Campagne for their performances as two soldiers in love in Lukas Dhont's "Coward." The two actors, who portrayed tenderness and personal longing amid the horrors of war, embraced each other on stage to great applause.

The Best Screenplay was awarded to Director Emmanuel Marre for "Notre Salut," while the Jury Prize went to Director Valeska Grisebach for "The Dreamed Adventure."

Director Chan-wook Park. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This year's jury was led by Director Park Chan-wook, who served as Jury President and evaluated twenty-two films in competition alongside Demi Moore, Stellan Skarsgard, Chloe Zhao, Laura Wandel, and others. At the press conference after the closing, he jokingly said, "Honestly, I didn't want to give out the Palme d'Or because I've never received the award myself," drawing laughter from the audience.

Meanwhile, Director Na Hong-jin of "Hope," which did not win an award, stated through his distributor Plus M Entertainment, "The most important thing right now is the roughly two months left before we meet Korean audiences," adding, "I will focus on perfecting the film as much as possible before its release."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.