The new film by director Cristian Mungiu, entitled “Fjord”, had its world premiere in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival, where it was received with a standing ovation lasting approximately 12 minutes.
The screening took place in the prestigious Grand Théâtre Lumière and attracted the attention of film critics, international distributors, and numerous industry personalities present at the event.
“Fjord” marks Mungiu’s English-language debut and is his first film since 2022’s RMN. The new project explores the story of a Romanian-Norwegian family settled in an isolated community near a fjord in Norway.
At the heart of the action is a couple played by actors Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, who face the intervention of social services in a tense case related to raising children and the limits of parenting. The film tackles sensitive themes such as institutional control, individual freedom and the conflict between different cultural values, in a context where psychological tension grows progressively.
According to reports from the scene, the audience reacted intensely at the end of the screening, the applause lasting for about 12 minutes — one of the strongest reactions of the current edition of the festival.
Director Cristian Mungiu: “The state is full of greedy people, we cannot hope for an honorable budget for art”
For Cristian Mungiu, “Fjord” represents a new return to the official competition, the director already being one of the established filmmakers of the festival. He won the Palme d’Or trophy at 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days and was later rewarded with major awards for The Baccalaureate and Beyond the Hills.
“Fjord” is his seventh feature film and was shot in Norway in areas close to real fjords, accentuating the visual realism of the story.
Interest in the film was high even before the premiere, and Neon acquired the rights to broadcast in several territories, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
The premiere of the film attracted many celebrities, including Sharon Stone, Carla Bruni, Demi Moore and Stellan Skarsgard.
The critics present at Cannes described the production as one of the most intense social dramas of the edition, with a strong emotional impact and a moral stake specific to Mungiu’s filmography.
