Every Cannes Palme d'Or Winner Since 1990, Ranked
Updated May 27, 2023 with the 2023 Palme d'Or winner, Anatomy of a Fall.
A best picture Oscar may be film's peak honor, but a Cannes Palme d'Or win isn't far behind. Though it didn't adopt its current name (which translates to "Golden Palm" in English) on a permanent basis until 1975, the top award at the globe's most prestigious film festival has been handed out in nearly every year since 1946, with occasional interruptions (most recently in 2020, when the festival was canceled during the COVID pandemic).
Is the latest Palme d'Or winner a favorite with critics as well? Not every Palme d'Or recipient is, as Cannes juries (typically composed of actors and directors, and different every year) don't always have the same tastes as reviewers. In the gallery on this page, we rank all of the Cannes winners since 1990. They are arranged from worst to best by Metascore, which reflects the consensus of professional critics for each film.
2007 winner
Only three films released in the 21st century—Boyhood, Moonlight, and Pan's Labyrinth—have a Metascore higher than that for this abortion drama set in the waning days of Communist-run Romania from filmmaker Cristian Mungiu. Not released in the States until 2008, 4 Months took home the Palme d'Or in May 2007 over a strong slate of competitors that included the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, and Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (which all scored 90 or higher). But despite that honor and the widespread acclaim, the film was completely ignored by Oscar voters—an omission that led to some (minor) reforms of the Academy's nominating process.
“First, this movie should be enjoyed. Later, marveled at. And then, once the excitement has faded, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days really should be studied, because director Cristian Mungiu creates scenes unlike any ever filmed.” —Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
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