The 79th Festival de Cannes crowns Fjord and confirms the Croisette as the global stage where cinema, couture, high jewellery, beauty and the world’s leading maisons shape contemporary cultural power.
Cannes closed its 79th edition with a verdict that placed cinema back at the centre of its most demanding mission: reading the present through stories capable of crossing cultures, identities and inner conflicts. The Palme d’Or 2026 was awarded to Fjord by Cristian Mungiu, while the Grand Prix went to Minotaur by Andreï Zviaguintsev. The Best Director award was shared by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for La Bola Negra and Paweł Pawlikowski for Fatherland. The screenplay prize went to Emmanuel Marre for Notre Salut, the Jury Prize to Valeska Grisebach for Das geträumte Abenteuer, while the acting awards honoured Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for Soudain by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne for Coward by Lukas Dhont.
After exploring Cannes 2026 as the global salon of luxury, Milano Luxury Life closes the Festival with a second reading: not only the winners’ list, but what Cannes represents today in the international imagination. The Croisette has become a total platform, where cinema provides the stage and the maisons shape the visual language: gowns, jewels, suites, grooming, make-up, yachts, private dinners and red carpets all belong to one cultural grammar.
Cristian Mungiu and the return of moral cinema
With Fjord, Cristian Mungiu wins his second Palme d’Or after 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, awarded in 2007. Set in Norway, the film explores cultural tension and social polarisation through the story of a Romanian family living in a small Scandinavian village. The jury, chaired by Park Chan-wook, recognised a work built on moral complexity, empathy and the friction between different value systems.
It is a choice deeply aligned with Cannes’ most powerful tradition. In an age of rapid images, the Festival gives its highest honour to a film that demands attention, depth and listening. Mungiu’s cinema belongs to a European lineage that favours layered human truth, where ambiguity becomes the most fertile territory of storytelling.
The awards as a portrait of the world
The 79th edition of the Festival gave space to cinema crossed by political, family, cultural and identity tensions. The Grand Prix for Andreï Zviaguintsev and Minotaur strengthens the geopolitical temperature of this year’s selection, while the shared Best Director award for La Bola Negra and Fatherland highlights the vitality of very different cinematic languages, from contemporary Spanish cinema to Pawlikowski’s formal research.
Among the additional awards, the Caméra d’Or went to Ben’Imana by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, while the Short Film Palme d’Or was awarded to Para los contrincantes by Federico Luis. In Un Certain Regard, the main prize went to Everytime by Sandra Wollner, confirming the Festival’s role as a privileged observatory for emerging directions in international cinema.
Brioni and the italian art of tailoring on the closing red carpet
On the closing ceremony red carpet, Italian menswear found one of its most elegant moments with Brioni. The maison’s latest release highlights the presence of William Abadie and Pierfrancesco Favino at the closing ceremony of the 79th Festival de Cannes. Abadie wore a Brioni double-breasted tuxedo in wool and silk, a cotton evening shirt, a silk bow tie and patent leather evening shoes. Favino chose a Brioni double-breasted tuxedo in silk, a silk evening shirt, a silk bow tie and patent leather evening shoes.
This detail matters because it confirms the strength of Italian tailoring in a context often dominated by the spectacle of womenswear. Cannes, on its final night, brought the rigor of the tuxedo back to the centre: construction, fabric, proportion and the quiet authority of masculine elegance.
Brioni had already dressed William Abadie for the opening ceremony, with a double-breasted tuxedo, silk peak lapels, silk bow tie and patent leather loafers. The maison’s presence at both the opening and closing of the Festival draws a coherent line: male elegance as discipline, presence and absolute control of gesture.
Dior and the beauty ritual before the red carpet
Cannes 2026 made one thing clear: contemporary luxury no longer lives only in the red carpet moment. It is built before the cameras, inside private spaces, hotel suites, beauty rituals, grooming sessions and the preparation of an image designed for global circulation.
Dior transformed its suite on the sixth floor of the Hotel Majestic into a 350-square-metre beauty sanctuary. Designed in shades of white and sky blue, the space featured the couture motif Dior Masquerade, inspired by illustrations created by Christian Bérard for Monsieur Dior. Throughout the Festival, the Maison welcomed artists and international personalities with facial treatments, massages, a make-up room led by the Dior Backstage PROS, a Dior Vernis nail bar and men’s grooming by Brice Tchaga, Dior Sauvage Grooming Ambassador.
The renewed collaboration with Dyson Beauty added a technological dimension to styling, confirming the backstage as one of luxury’s most strategic territories. The montée des marches begins long before the staircase: in the skin, the hair, the light of the face, the making of an appearance destined to become a global image.
Pomellato, Boucheron and the Power of High Jewellery
High jewellery dominated Cannes with growing intensity. Pomellato brought a distinctly Milanese, chromatic and identity-driven language to the Croisette. Jane Fonda lit up the opening red carpet wearing an Iconica High Jewelry necklace and Nudo rings; Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Global Ambassador of the Maison, wore a preview from the new High Jewelry Collection 2026: a semi-rigid choker with Paraíba tourmalines, paired with matching earrings and ring.
Pomellato’s Cannes story continued with Anaïs Demoustier, wearing a High Jewelry necklace with Nudo and Catene rings, Hande Erçel with the Gemme Superlative High Jewelry necklace, Catherine Deneuve with Iconica and Nudo jewels, and Farida Khelfa with creations from the Iconica collection.
Alongside Pomellato, Boucheron built a powerful presence through light, archives and high jewellery. Han So-Hee, ambassador of the Maison, wore The Spark necklace in white gold and diamonds, Rosier earrings and The Address ring. Colman Domingo chose the Lavallière Diamants brooch from the Histoire de Style, Art Déco collection, paired with Zebra and Quatre Double White Edition rings. François Civil wore the Quatre Radiant Edition necklace and ring, while Raline Shah chose Quatre Radiant Edition earrings and ring, together with the Flèche Question Mark necklace.
The Boucheron narrative extended to Charlotte Le Bon, with archive and contemporary jewels, Araya A. Hargate, with creations from Histoire de Style, The Power of Couture, and Judith Godrèche, wearing iconic Serpent Bohème and Quatre Radiant Edition pieces.
Zegna, Ferragamo, Calvin Klein Collection: the wardrobe of the Croisette
Menswear found one of its clearest expressions in Zegna. Adam Driver wore a Zegna tuxedo to the screening of Paper Tiger; at the photocall for the same film, Driver chose a Zegna suit and knitwear, while Miles Teller wore a polo, trousers and loafers from the Maison. Javier Bardem also appeared in Zegna at the photocall for El Ser Querido, wearing an Oasi Lino Il Conte jacket, knitwear, jeans, loafers and sunglasses.
Ferragamo built a broader presence across daywear, accessories and red carpet. Diego Calva wore a camel wool and mohair sweater over a navy wool and silk top, espresso leather trousers, a Hug Bag, Tramezza lace-ups and sunglasses. Demi Moore chose a cotton checked bomber in safari, navy and pumice tones, paired with a midi skirt finished with navy nappa details, a Hug Bag Soft XS and black leather mules.
The Maison also dressed Isabella Ferrari, in a black double-breasted blazer with side slits, knee-length skirt, leather mules with S heel, Hug Bag and sunglasses with Gancini detail; Natasha Poly, in a georgette and satin pleated dress with leather gloves and satin pumps finished with a Swarovski ornament; and Sophie Okonedo, in a long gold satin dress with a shearling shawl.
Calvin Klein Collection pursued a language of essentiality with Géraldine Nakache, who attended the screening of Karma wearing look 11 from the Fall 2026 runway: a black midi dress in silk duchesse, with wide neckline, micro piping and matching shawl.
Chopard, Casadei, Genny, Ray-Ban: the private geography of Cannes
Cannes also lives beyond the Palais. Yachts, terraces, hotels, dinners and parties create a second map of the Festival, more private and highly strategic for brands.
Chopard, official partner of the Festival since 1998, remains one of the names most deeply rooted in Cannes’ identity. The maison is linked to the Palme d’Or and to the Festival’s grand jewellery tradition, confirming its role as a structural presence on the Croisette.
Within this universe, the collaboration between Casadei and Chopard returned for the fourth consecutive year for Caroline Scheufele’s Haute Couture show. Casadei created custom-made satin Julia sandals, while the evening drew inspiration from the world of the circus, with performances by Cirque Knie, a burlesque number by Dita Von Teese, a live performance by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and a DJ set by Bob Sinclar.
At the Chopard Annual Dinner & Party, Kenya Jones, daughter of Quincy Jones, chose Genny, wearing a Spring-Summer 2026 creation designed by Sara Cavazza Facchini. By her side was Will Peltz, face of the maison’s latest campaigns. The long chiffon dress, with a deep V neckline and layers of pleating, brought to the Croisette a fluid, luminous femininity built on movement.
Ray-Ban hosted a cocktail party on Sunday, May 17, aboard the private yacht This Is It, dedicated to Paper Tiger by James Gray, in competition with Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller. Guests included Adriana Lima, Miles Teller, Patrick Ta, Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, Tommaso Chiabra, Frida Aasen, Selton Mello, Christian Madsen, Lena Perminova and many other international names. During the evening, guests wore a curated selection of Ray-Ban models, from Aviators to the Alain Mikli x Ray-Ban, Dolce & Gabbana x Ray-Ban and A$AP Rocky Puffer capsules.
Beauty, empowerment and technology: Charlotte Tilbury, L’Oréal Paris, Kering
Beauty played a central role in the Cannes 2026 narrative. Charlotte Tilbury Beauty accompanied a group of red carpet talents including Frida Gustavsson, Claire Holt, Laila Ahmed Zaher, Ginta Kubiliute and Helen Hoehne, focusing on skincare, glow and the brand’s icons, from Magic Cream to Hollywood Flawless Filter, from Airbrush Flawless Finish to Matte Revolution in Pillow Talk.
L’Oréal Paris, Official Makeup Partner of the Festival for the 29th year, celebrated beauty on the red carpet and the sixth anniversary of the Lights on Women’s Worth Award, dedicated to emerging female filmmakers. Among the names associated with the brand’s Cannes 2026 presence were Gillian Anderson, Simone Ashley, Alia Bhatt, Jane Fonda, Ariana Greenblatt, Aja Naomi King, Eva Longoria, Andie MacDowell, Aishwarya Rai, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Bebe Vio.
Kering confirmed the cultural weight of Women In Motion, honouring Julianne Moore with the 2026 Women In Motion Award and awarding the Emerging Talent Award to Italian filmmaker Margherita Spampinato. The evening also gathered members of the Festival jury, including Park Chan-wook, Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé, Paul Laverty and Stellan Skarsgård.
Beyond the red carpet: Cannes as a global luxury platform
The international picture of the 79th edition confirmed a clear trend: Cannes is one of the places where luxury measures its cultural influence. The Festival saw a significant presence of maisons such as Gucci, Chanel, Saint Laurent and Ami Paris, together with the growing weight of high jewellery through Chopard, Boucheron and Pomellato, as well as new forms of hospitality, wellness and technology connected to names such as Alo and Meta/Ray-Ban.
The Croisette is now an ecosystem: cinema, fashion, jewellery, beauty, tech, hospitality and nightlife move as parts of a single image industry. Every appearance becomes content, every piece of content becomes reputation, and every reputation feeds desire.
What remains of Cannes 2026
Cannes 2026 leaves behind a strong palmarès, led by Cristian Mungiu, and an equally powerful luxury narrative. Dior, Pomellato, Boucheron, Zegna, Brioni, Ferragamo, Calvin Klein Collection, Genny, Chopard, Casadei, Ray-Ban, Charlotte Tilbury, L’Oréal Paris, Kering, Gucci, Chanel, Saint Laurent and Ami Paris all contributed, each through its own code, to a Festival capable of speaking to different audiences: cinephiles, collectors, buyers, celebrities, maisons, digital platforms and the global public.
Cinema awarded its prizes. The maisons wrote their part of the visual story. Cannes, once again, transformed twelve days of appearances into an archive of images designed to last.
On the Croisette, everything happens quickly: a staircase, a flash, an award, a dress, a jewel, a tuxedo, a face. Then the Festival closes, the lights dim, the yachts leave the bay. Yet some images remain. And it is there, in collective memory, that Cannes truly continues.
