What Cristian Mungiu says about his new film “Fjord”, which received a long standing ovation at the Cannes premiere. The film, among the favorites to win the Palme d'Or trophy
Through his latest feature film, “Fjord”, selected in the official competition of this year's Cannes Film Festival, Cristian Mungiu questions the abuses committed in the name of progressive ideologies, without fear of provoking debates. “Cinema must remain polemical,” said the Romanian director, awarded with the Palme d'Or trophy in 2007, in an interview granted to the France Presse agency on Tuesday.
“It seems to me that, in cinematography, we have started to lose a little of the freedom to really express what we think. There are too many polite films that confirm to you that the ideology of the day is the correct one, and that is not what cinematography should do”, Cristian Mungiu told AFP, quotes Agerpres.
The film “Fjord” by Cristian Mungiu, with actors Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, received a standing ovation for 12 minutes at the premiere in Cannes on Monday.
Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve hold back tears as “Fjord” earns a 10-minute standing ovation at #Cannes.https://t.co/IDQo80YoUP pic.twitter.com/hQZbjdEoah
— Variety (@Variety) May 18, 2026
In “Fjord”, the Romanian filmmaker sets his story in Norway, where a very faithful evangelical couple (Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve) settle down with their five children and seem, at first, to integrate without problems into a society that proclaims its tolerance and respect for minorities.
But everything comes to an abrupt halt when suspicions of domestic violence against children arise. The Norwegian authorities begin to look at the couple with a critical eye, questioning their strict upbringing, which excludes YouTube and smartphones, and criticizing their religious faith.
The tension rises until a fostering proceeding is triggered involving the children, including the youngest of the siblings, a newborn who was still being nursed by his mother.
“I'm not here to please anyone”
Cristian Mungiu – who won the Palme d'Or trophy almost 20 years ago with “4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days”, a film denouncing the criminalization of abortion in communist Romania – also refuses to take the side of the conservative camp.
The Romanian filmmaker admits, however, that he has “much more expectations from a progressive society that believes it has found the right answers for the future and that always considers itself superior”.
“It doesn't matter,” he adds, that his film might delight critics of the “woke” current and “irritate its supporters.” “I'm not here to please anyone,” emphasized the Romanian director, who also wrote the film's dialogues and script. “In the cinema you have to take risks”, said Cristian Mungiu.
Inspired by real events, the film “Fjord” resonates with the personal story of the 58-year-old Romanian filmmaker, who grew up in the Romania of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the dictator who ruled for decades (1967-1989) in the name of a communism that promised emancipation, but which, in fact, oppressed the Romanian people.
“I grew up under a regime that thought it knew better than us, the citizens, what we needed,” Mungiu recalls. “We thought this stopped with the fall of communism, but today we find that it can happen, even with the best of intentions, in democratic societies,” he added.
We have just gotten a first time look at three scenes from Fjord through a @France24_en news report.💙 pic.twitter.com/MBUgdKnfks
— Fjord Crave (@FjordCrave) May 19, 2026
However, Mungiu does not see his new film as a criticism of current progressivism, but as a reflection on the increasing polarization in our societies.
“It's really important that this generates some kind of debate on the reasons why we have this kind of radicalized society, both on the left and on the right. Sometimes we wonder how we got to this point and why it's so hard for us to live in a society where people have different values,” explained the Romanian director.
“It is perfectly natural to hope that you will receive an award”
On a more personal level, “Fjord” could introduce Cristian Mungiu to the very narrow circle of filmmakers who won the Palme d'Or trophy twice, AFP journalists note.
“I'm very happy that after two years of work where the entire film crew and actors were saying 'we'll see each other again at Cannes', this really happened. But now we are moving to another level of pressure”, added Cristian Mungiu.
Screened on Monday on Croazeta, the film “Fjord” was well received by international critics and is among the serious contenders for winning the Palme d'Or trophy, which will be awarded on Saturday evening, AFP journalists point out. “It is absolutely natural and human to hope that you will receive an award”, added the Romanian filmmaker.
The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival runs from May 12-23.
