79th Festival de Cannes Award Winners

Update May 24. It is over one more year and now one year waiting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the greatest of all festivals.

This edition was one I truly enjoyed as felt it was more about the cinema than about celebrities or all the glitz and blitz that American cinema brings to industry events. Will not deny that I'm a bit disappointed that serious American newspaper (not many left but there are one or two) wrote that this year the festival "felt muted, particularly in light of last year strong lineup. The absence of the major American studios was a contributing factor, as was the lack of globally recognizable stars on the red carpet." Of course I completely disagree as even when there were great movies in 2025 edition, current edition had fabulous world cinema from established auteurs as well as from relatively new and young newcomers and about the red carpet, well, there were more globally recognizable extraordinary performers than in previous edition, of course probably the only ones not really familiar with world cinema performers are from the United States. Sigh. I had a huge thorn in my foot and with these words I remove it.

From this edition have many films that have become must be seen for me, even one or two that didn't get many positive reactions; but, that's the fun of learning what great movies will maybe come to a theater near you or better, will be streamed by one of the many services available today with worldwide coverage.

I'm a HUGE fan of Cristian Mungiu's filmmaking and storytelling style since he did outstanding and innovating 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days which impacted me so much that motivate me to learn Romanian to watch his body of work and as much as I could from all Romanian New Wave of cinema directors. But, I'm also a HUGE fan of Andrei Zvyagintsev and particularly the film that made me crave for more from him was Izgnanie (The Banishment) which I have revisited often as the movie is on the service I have; so after this movie,  I went back to see The Return and since then have seen all he's made. I'm glad both master filmmakers were recognized in 2026 by the festival and a very heterogeneous jury that was kind of unpredictable but in the end shows that we all love great cinema, n'est pas?

The post has become final and just a few more words, au revoir à l'année prochaine!

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May 20, 2026
Post begins today as there are some winners already announced.

The Winners

Main Competition

Palme d'Or: Fjord, Cristian Mungiu, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and Romania

Grand Prize: Minotaur, Andrei Zvyagintsev, France, Germany and Latvia

Jury Prize: Das geträumte abenteuer (The Dreamed Adventure), Valeska Grisebach, Germany, France, Bulgaria and Austria

Best Director: (tie)
Pavel Pawlikowski for Fatherland, Pawel Palikowski, Italy, Poland, Germany and France
Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for La Bola Negra (The Black Ball), Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (los Javi), Spain and France

Best Screenplay: Emmanuel Marre for Notre Salut (A Man of His Time), Emmanuel Marre, Belgium and France

Best Actress: Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto in Soudain (All of the Sudden), Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Japan, France, Belgium and Germany
Best Actor: Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne in Coward, Lukas Dhont, Belgium, France and Netherlands

Camera d'Or: Ben'Imana (Children of God), Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Rwanda, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal (1st Film)

Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard Prize: Everytime, Sandra Wollner, Austria and Germany
Jury Prize: तिनीहरू Tinihāru (Elepahants in the Fog), Abinash Bikram Shah, Germany, France, Brazil, and Nepal (1st Film)
Special Jury Prize: Le Corset (Iron Boy), Louis Clichy, France and Belgium (animation)
Best Actress: Marina de Tavira, Daniela Marín Navarro, and Mariangel Villegas in Siempre Soy Tu Animal Materno (Forever Your Maternal Animal), Valentina Maurel, France and Costa Rica
Best Actor: Fiomona Dembeasset in Congo Boy, Rafiki Fariala, Central African Republic, Congo and France

Quinzaine des Cinéastes (Directors' Fortnight)
SACD Award: Shana, Lila Pinell, France
Europa Cinemas Award: L'espéce explosive (Too Many Bastards), Sarah Arnold, France 
People's Choice: I See Buildings Fall Like Lighting, Clio Barnard, UK

Carrose d'Or:  Claire Denis
Prix Alpine: Alice Winocour

Semaine de la Critique
Feature Films
Grand Prix: La Gradiva, Marine Atlan, Italy and France 1st film
Rising Star Award: Aina Clotet in Viva (Alive), Aina Clotet, Spain 1st film 
GAN Foundation Support for Distribution: 无名女孩 Wu ming nü hai (A Girl Unknown), Zou Jing, China and France 1st film
SACD Award: Blerta Basholli and Nicole Borgeat for Dua, Blerta Basholli, Kosovo, Switzerland, France 2nd film  
Short Films
Canal+ Award: „Vaterland“ oder Ein Bule Namens Yanto ("Vaterland" or A Bule Named Yanto), Berthold Wahjudi, Germany and Indonesia 26'
Discovery Prize: Skinny Bottines (Skinny Boots), Romain F. Dubois, Canada 19'
Next Step Award: Happy Hardcore, Róisín Burns, France

Best Immersive Work: Katábasis, Ugo Arsac, France
Special Jury Mention: The Black Mirror Experience, David Bardos and Damià Ferràndiz, Spain

Short Films
Palm d'Or: Para Los Contrincantes (For The Opponents), Federico Luis, Mexico, Chile, France and Argentina 15'

La Cinef
First Prize: Laser-gato (Laser-Cat), Lucas Archer, USA, NYU 22'
Second Prize: Silent Voices, Nadine Misong Jin, USA, Columbia University 17'
Third Prize: (tie)
Aldrig Nok (Never Enough), Julius Lagoutte Larsen, France, La Fémis 25'
Growing Stones, Flying Papers, Roozbeh Gezerseh and Soraya Shamsi, Germany, Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf 12' (animation)

Marché du Film

Docs-in-Progress Awards
Alphapanda Award: The Undermine, Alice Nelson, UK and Ireland 
Al Jazeera Documentary Award: Super Sila, Mohammed Aishareef, Palestine
American Documentary Award: Chilapa's Girl, Juana Lotero, Colombia
DAE Award: Baba, Giacomo Fausti and Laila Sit Aboha, Italy
Documentary Magazine Award: Ba's Book, Ashley Duong, Canada
IEFTF Award: Super Sila, Mohammed Aishareef, Palestine
Rise and Shine Award: Black Dad Buko, Simon Klose, Sweden 
Rulli Putorti and Partners Law Firm Award: Antipodal Dreams, Juanita Onzaga, Colombia and Mexico
Think-Film Impact Award: Gaza Sunbirds, Flavia Cappellini, Belgium, UK, France and Palestine
TransPerfect Media Post-Production Award: Burning Daddy, Tana Gilbert, Chile, Germany and Spain

Goes to Cannes Awards
A.H. Media Production Award: Carolina Maria de Jesus, Jeferson De, Brazil and France - Presented by Festival do Rio
Ciné+ OCS Award: At Your Service, German Golub, Estonia and Germany - Presented by PÖFF
Sideral Cinema Award: The Daughters, Daniel Romero Bueno, UK and Spain - Presented by PÖFF

Collateral Awards

FIPRESCI
Main Competition: Fjord, Cristian Mungiu, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and Romania
Un Certain Regard: Ben'Imana (Children of God), Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Rwanda, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal (1st Film)
Semaine de la Critique: 无名女孩 Wu ming nü hai (A Girl Unknown), Zou Jing, China and France 1st film

Ecumenical Jury Award: Fjord, Cristian Mungiu, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and Romania

AFCAE Art House Cinema Award: Notre Salut (A Man of His Time), Emmanuel Marre, Belgium and France

L'Œil d'Or Documentary Award: تمرین‌هایی برای یک انقلاب Rehearsals for a Revolution, Pegah Ahangarani, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic and Iran (documentary) (1st Film)
Special Mention: Tin Castle, Alexander Murphy, Ireland and France (documentary) 2nd film

Golden Globes Prize for Documentary Award: Groundswell, Joshua and Rebecca Tickell, USA, Colombia, Kenya, India and Brazil

Queer Palm
Feature Film: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Jane Schoenbrun, USA
Revelation: Du Fioul dans les artères (Flesh and Fuel), Pierre Le Gall, Poland and France 1st film
Short Film: Silent Voices, Nadine Misong Jin, USA, Columbia University 17'

Prix de la Citoyenneté: Fjord, Cristian Mungiu, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and Romania
Special Mention: Notre Salut (A Man of His Time), Emmanuel Marre, Belgium and France

30th Prix François Chalais: Fjord, Cristian Mungiu, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and Romania
Prix Cinéma Positif: Coward, Lukas Dhont, Belgium, France and Netherlands

Prix Commision supérieure technique de l’image et du son (CST)
Prix CST de l’Artiste-Technicien: Nicolas Rumpl, head film editor of Notre Salut (A Man of His Time), Emmanuel Marre, Belgium and France
Prix CST de la Jeune Technicienne de Cinéma: Esther Mysius, production designer of Histoires de la Nuit (The Birthday Party), Léa Mysius, France
42nd Prix Jean Vivié
Best Projection: Abdelkader Tetek
Best Editing: Anne-Lise Gilibert

Cannes Soundtrack Award: (tie)
Alberto Iglesias for Amarga Navidad (Bitter Christmas), Pedro Almodóvar, Spain
Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine for Minotaur, Andrei Zvyagintsev, France, Germany and Latvia

Prix de la Meilleure Création Sonore: तिनीहरू Tinihāru (Elepahants in the Fog), Abinash Bikram Shah, Germany, France, Brazil, and Nepal (1st Film)

EcoProd Awards
Prix Eco Prod: Soudain (All of the Sudden), Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Japan, France, Belgium and Germany
Special Mention: Notre Salut (A Man of His Time), Emmanuel Marre, Belgium and France

24th Prix Unifrance Short Film
Grand Prix: Swapper, Louis-Barthélemy Rousseau, France 28'
Special Jury Prize: Chambre 206, Laurie Bisceglia, France 17'
Prix BeTV: Cracheurs (Breath), Luis Letailleur, France 20'
Sooner Award: Sea Sun and Burn, Pauline Cancel, France 23'

Grand Rail d'Or Award: 无名女孩 Wu ming nü hai (A Girl Unknown), Zou Jing, China and France 1st film
Special Mention: المحطة Al Mahattah (The Station), Sara Ishaq, Yemen, Jordan, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Qatar 1st film
Petit Rail d'Or: مقنين À quoi rêvent les Maknines (What Do the Maknines Dream of), Sarra Ryma, Algeria and France 22'

Lights on Women's Worth Award: Lenti Liang

14th Pierre Angénieux
Pierre Angénieux Tribute: Akiko Ashizawa
Angénieux Special Encouragement: Nguyễn Phan Linh Đan

Palm Dog Awards
Palm Dog: Yuri, a stray puppy, in La Perra, Dominga Sotomayor, Chile and Brazil
Grand Prix du Jury: Lola, Terrier cross in I See Buildings Fall Like Lighting, Clio Barnard, UK

Chopard Trophy for Up-and-Coming Talent
Odessa A'zion for her work in Marty Supreme by Josh Safdie
Connor Swindells for his work in TV Sex Education and film Emma, The Vanishing, SAS Rogue Heroes, William Tell and Gerta Gerwig's Barbie.

Kering Awards
Women in Motion Award: Joanne Moore
Emerging Talent Award: Margherita Spampinato

Humann Prize
Humann Lifetime Prize: Andie MacDowell
Humann Impact Prize: Xavier Dolan

Honorary Palm'd'Or
Barbra Streisand
Peter Jackson
John Travolta

3rd Prix Luciole (celebrating the Art of Film Posters)
Best Poster Award: Titanic Ocean, Konstantina Kotzamani, Greece, Germany, Romania, Spain, Japan, and France (1st Film)
Jury Prize: 无名女孩 Wu ming nü hai (A Girl Unknown), Zou Jing, China and France 1st film
Special Mention: Sanguine (Species), Marion Le Corroller, France and Belgium
Honorary Mentions
Viva (Alive), Aina Clotet, Spain 1st film
Dua, Blerta Basholli, Kosovo, Switzerland, France 2nd film
Promised Spaces, Ivan Marković, France, Germany, Serbia and Cambodia