'Fjord' Palme d’Or winner, Cristian Mungiu, calls for respect and dialogue in divided society

Cristian Mungiu urges dialogue and restraint in judging others after 'Fjord' wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival

Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu has used his Cannes Film Festival 2026 platform to call for greater dialogue in a divided world, urging audiences not to rush to judge others.

Speaking after his film Fjord received top honours at Cannes, Mungiu addressed concerns about polarised reactions to the film’s themes, which explore immigration, prejudice and social breakdown.

The film follows a Romanian family, played by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, who move from Romania to a small Norwegian town where tensions escalate after a child protection investigation is triggered.

At the awards press conference, Mungiu said, “Don’t rush to judge the other,” adding that society often relies on stereotypes and categorisation.

He stated, “We all use lots of stereotypes. We include people in categories,” while stressing the importance of dialogue in overcoming division.

The director further said, “You’ll eventually learn that (the other side) they’re not different from you,” and noted that people often operate from instinctive survival behaviours.

“We all have survival instincts,” he said, adding that individuals tend to view others as threats.

Mungiu argued that civilisation requires resisting these instincts. “We claim to be civilized people and civilization means this attempt to lower down your instincts and be a little bit more open,” he said.

He also added, “We need to respect other people. People need to find their own answers for the questions that face humanity.”

He concluded, “We need to leave them (the children) with a less violent society than the one we have now.”

Fjord marks Mungiu’s second Palme d’Or win after 2007’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. He described the award as “humbling” and said that recognition often depends on context rather than expectation.

“Awards are often a result of context or circumstance,” he said, adding that focus should remain on the film itself rather than its prize.

The film also reportedly earned multiple awards during the final days of the festival and is described as addressing issues across different layers of society.