It was the night Cristian Mungiu hoped for and the photographers prayed for. For the Fjord premiere on 18 May, Daisy Edgar-Jones arrived in liquid silver custom Gucci, Sharon Stone — 68 and unbothered — worked a black velvet tuxedo gown with opera gloves, and jury member Demi Moore, fresh from morning deliberations, chose archival Dior couture in pale blue.

The trio posed together on the Palais steps, prompting immediate “passing the torch” headlines in the French press. Moore, serving under jury president Park Chan-wook, has been the most photographed juror so far, ducking questions about voting while praising the Romanian-Norwegian drama’s “brutal tenderness.”

Gossip peaked two nights earlier when John Travolta was handed an Honorary Palme d’Or minutes before unveiling his first film as director, Propeller One-Way Night Coach. The award was not on the original program — festival staff confirmed it was added “on short notice” — and backstage whispers linked it to last-minute lobbying by U.S. distributors.

Elsewhere on the carpet, Léa Seydoux and Niels Schneider promoted Arthur Harari’s identity thriller The Unknown (L’Inconnue), while Barbra Streisand was spotted at the Hotel du Cap, rehearsing her closing-night speech. Peter Jackson, honoured at the opening, joked he came “for the rosé, stayed for the standing ovations.”

Comment from a veteran publicist summed up the mood: “Cannes 2026 has fewer Hollywood jets, more actual actors. The red carpet finally matches the films.”

Photo Credits: Original photo by YantsImages, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Derivative work modified by the editorial team (enhanced sharpness, color correction and lighting). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.