Romania’s Ministry of Culture congratulated director Cristian Mungiu and the team behind Fjord after the movie received a 12-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. The ministry described the reaction as one of the strongest received at this year’s festival.

In a Facebook post, the ministry praised Mungiu, actors Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, as well as the film’s artistic and technical team for what it called a “remarkable achievement.”

“Some films do not end when the credits roll. They stay with you. They shake your certainties. They raise questions. They force you to look more carefully at the world and the people around you. That is what happened in Cannes, where Fjord, the new film directed by Cristian Mungiu, was met with 12 minutes of uninterrupted applause, one of the strongest reactions of this year’s festival edition,” reads the ministry’s message.

According to Deadline.com, Fjord premiered on Monday evening in Cannes and received a 12-minute ovation from the audience - the longest of the year so far at the festival.

Exuberant applause for Fjord and stars Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan- ovation continues #Cannes pic.twitter.com/kvBjaI8LwU

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 18, 2026

The film follows a Romanian-Norwegian couple, played by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, who move with their children to a remote fjord village in Norway, where cultural tensions and disagreements over education and values begin to emerge. The Culture Ministry said the film explores themes such as polarization, dialogue, and social division, adding that “Romanian cinema goes far when it has the courage to tell the truth.”

Fjord marks Cristian Mungiu’s English-language debut and his return to the official Cannes competition, where he previously won the Palme d'Or in 2007, the Best Screenplay award in 2012, and Best Director in 2016.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Ministerul Culturii, by Laurent Hou)