The Cannes Film Festival concluded with a refreshingly low-key edition, favouring global auteurs over Hollywood glitz. The Palme d'Or was awarded to Cristian Mungiu's Fjord, a drama about Romanian Evangelicals clashing with progressive locals in Norway. The film stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve.
Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur won the Grand Prix. Set during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the film follows a man suspicious of his wife's fidelity. Zvyagintsev, who exiled himself from Russia after the invasion, has seen his film banned from screening in Russia.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden earned joint Best Actress awards for Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto. The 196-minute film follows a care home director and her chance encounter with a theatre director, exploring themes of life and beauty. Austrian filmmaker Sandra Wollner won the Un Certain Regard prize for Everytime, a metaphysical drama about a mother and daughter grieving a tragedy, described as Lynchian Aftersun.
Other notable entries included James Gray's Paper Tiger, a 1980s New York gangster film starring Miles Teller and Adam Driver, though Scarlett Johansson notably skipped the premiere. Omissions from the festival programme included Jordan Firstman's Club Kid, Rafiki Fariala's Congo Boy, and Lukas Dhont's Coward, which won Best Actor for its young stars.
