Fjord, a thought-provoking drama about a Christian family in Norway from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, has won the best film prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The film. Which tackles themes of cultural clash and values, was presented at the festival’s star-packed closing ceremony on Saturday.

A Second Palme d’Or for Mungiu

Cristian Mungiu, the Romanian director, has now won his second Palme d’Or, one of the most prestigious awards in international cinema, but his previous win came in 2007 for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, a Romanian abortion drama that was also critically acclaimed.

Exploring Cultural and Ethical Tensions

Fjord stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve and follows the story of a family of evangelicals who move from Romania to a Norwegian village — the film centers on the conflict that arises when the family’s children are taken from them by child services due to their use of spanking.

Mungiu has described the film as a tale of “left-wing fundamentalism,” highlighting the clash between the family’s religious practices and the progressive values of Norwegian society. The film is based on real events and challenges the perception of Norway as a land of liberal tolerance.

“This is a message about tolerance, inclusion, and empathy. These are wonderful values that we all cherish, but we need to put them into practice more often,” Mungiu said to the audience at the ceremony.

Other Notable Winners at Cannes

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Russian war drama Minotaur, which portrays a callous businessman involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, won the Grand Prix second prize; Zvyagintsev, now in exile in France, delivered a message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, urging an end to the conflict.

“Put an end to the carnage, the whole world is waiting for it,” he said in a message to the audience.

Belgium’s Virginie Efira and Japanese actor Tao Okamoto shared the best female performance award for their roles in All of a Sudden, a nursing home drama directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Belgian actors Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne from the gay World War I drama Coward shared the best male performance award.

Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo won the Camera d’Or for best first film for her genocide drama Ben’Imana. She dedicated the award to “the women of my country.”