Romania wins Palme d’Or for the first time at Cannes

The Palme d’Or of the 60th edition of the Cannes Festival (May 16-27), went to the Romanian film “4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile”(“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”), directed by Cristian Mungiu. It is the first time in the history of the cinematography that a Romanian film receives the top prize at such a festival, which is the European equivalent of the Oscar. The last big success of the Romanian cinematography at this festival dates from 1965, when Liviu Ciulei was awarded with the Prize for the best director, for the film “Padurea Spanzuratilor” (“The Forest of the Hanged”). “4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile” is the cruel story of an illicit abortion. The film is a part of a bigger project named “Amintiri din epoca de aur” (“Memories from the Golden Age”) - a story of the communist Romania, which is retold by means of urban legends. The goal of the project was to describe this period without referring to communism itself, but to focus on stories based on personal experiences in a time of unhappy incidents that everyone had to live as if they were normal. The Cannes jury chaired by British director Stephen made a difficult decision by choosing “4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile” out of 22 other movies. The prize was offered to Cristi Mungiu by actress Jane Fonda.