Fjord starring Sebastian Stan wins Palme d'Or at Cannes

The 79th Cannes Film Festival came to a close on Saturday when the Palme d'Or was awarded to Fjord.

Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu's multilingual drama stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a devout Christian couple who are accused of physically abusing their children.

Speaking from the stage, Mungiu said he believed it was important for cinema to address "relevant" things, the New York Times reported.

The award is Mungui's second Palme. He also won it in 2007 for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

The Best Actress award was shared between the two female stars of All of a Sudden, Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto. The poignant drama by Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi is set in an aged care centre.

The Best Actor prize was similarly split, awarded to Valentin Campagne and Emmanuel Macchia, who play young soldiers in the World War I drama Coward.

Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski co-won Best Director for Fatherland, a fictionalised drama about a real trip that the author Thomas Mann made to Germany in 1949.

He shared the gong with Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who made the time-skipping La Bola Negra.

The Dreamed Adventure won the Jury Prize. The jury included actor Demi Moore and director Chloé Zhao, among others.