After a series of enthusiastic standing ovations, glamorous red-carpet events, and heated debates over the merits of the competing films, the moment has arrived to announce the winners at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
As the festival approached its closing ceremony, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, and Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland emerged as strong contenders for the prestigious Palme d’Or. In the acting categories, notable performances from Léa Seydoux in The Unknown and Gentle Monster, Virginie Efira in Parallel Tales and All of a Sudden, Sandra Hüller in Fatherland, Adam Driver in Paper Tiger, Rami Malek in The Man I Love, and Javier Bardem in The Beloved were in contention. Meanwhile, Na Hong-jin’s Hope and Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s The Black Ball impressed many, potentially positioning them for smaller festival awards. Despite the unpredictability of the jury’s decisions, the competition was wide open.
Below is the list of winners from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
In Competition
Palme d’Or: Fjord, Cristian Mungiu
Grand Prix: Minotaur, Andrey Zvyagintsev
Jury Prize: The Dreamed Adventure, Valeska Grisebach
Best Director: Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, The Black Ball; Pawel Pawlikowski, Fatherland
Best Actress: Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, All of a Sudden
Best Actor: Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, Coward
Best Screenplay: A Man of His Time, Emmanuel Marre
Camera d’Or for Best First Feature: Ben’imana, Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Short Film Palme d’Or: Para Los Contrincantes, Federico Luis
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard Prize: Everytime, Sandra Wollner
Jury Prize: Elephants in the Fog, Abinash Bikram Shah
Special Jury Prize: Iron Boy, Louis Clichy
Best Actor: Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset for Congo Boy, directed by Rafiki Fariala
Best Actresses: Marina de Tavira, Daniela MarĂn Navarro, and Mariangel Villegas for Forever Your Maternal Animal, directed by Valentina Maurel
