The Cannes Film Festival isn’t quite like the Oscars. Traditionally, it’s been more focused on niche, art house films, and has a strong French influence. Films that win the Palme d’Or, Cannes’ top prize, typically gain the admiration of film enthusiasts but have often been overlooked by the general audience. This trend is changing.
The latest Palme d’Or winner is “Fjord,” a multilingual drama by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu. The film explores themes of culture wars. Kyle Buchanan, an awards season columnist, highlighted the festival’s evolution and the movies that stood out during his visit.
The director Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d’Or for “Fjord” on Saturday.
The Significance of Cannes
Kyle Buchanan explains that Cannes marks the beginning of the awards season. He mentions that films like “Anora,” which won the Palme d’Or two years ago, went on to claim Oscars for best picture, director, and actress. Last year, “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent” both received best picture nominations, catalyzed by their success at Cannes.
Historically, few best-picture nominees emerged from this festival. However, “Parasite” broke that pattern in 2019 by winning both the Palme d’Or and the Oscar for best picture as the first non-English language film to do so. This win has significantly elevated Cannes’ profile in recent years. The previous year, four out of five international-film nominees had premiered at Cannes, illustrating its increasing influence on Oscar nominations.
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