The Cannes Film Festival is back! This year marks the 76th annual festival and boy, do have some titles to look forward to. The films competing for the coveted Palme d'Or this year include the latest picture from Wes Anderson, Asteroid City, just two years after his ensemble The French Dispatch premiered at the festival. Todd Haynes, who is no stranger to the French festival brings his drama May December starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda, who won the Palme d'Or in 2018 for his film Shoplifters, will compete again with his drama Monster. This is also not to mention all the exciting pictures competing out of competition, including Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and the latest entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Standing through the barely half-minute-long classic happy birthday song is a fun experience many still consider uncomfortable. Now, imagine being the recipient of an over 10-minute long standing ovation where all you do is stand there not sure of what gesture to assume; a smile, a wide grin, a chuckle, repeat. This is the sort of awkwardly gratifying experience that numerous auteurs and actors have been treated to at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. A two-minute-long clap, at best, should be enough to convey the intended message of admiration for anything, but for the Cannes Film Festival, two minutes just doesn’t cut it and is almost equal to its notorious walkouts used to express dissatisfaction with an entry. This grandiose yet bizarre tradition has endured at Cannes for decades.
For a whopping 76 years and counting, the Cannes Film Festival has served as the launch pad for many of today’s beloved filmmakers and even actors. While the lengthy standing ovation doesn’t always translate to favorable audience reception or unanimous critical acclaim, it is a moment where the filmmakers can at least revel in their ability to create admirable art. Without further ado, here is a look at the longest-standing ovation in the history of the Cannes Film Festival.
'Elvis' (2022) - 12 minutes
The announcement that Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis would be making its premiere at the 75th Cannes Festival was met with much anticipation. This was to be the auteur’s first outing since his 2013 hit, The Great Gatsby. Elvis is the biographical picture of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley where Luhrmann yet again showcases his filmmaking charm by uplifting it from a mere biopic to an ode to the rock icon that was Elvis. It stars Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as his manager Colonel Tom Parker with whom Elvis shared a rather complicated relationship. The 12-minute-long standing ovation moved Luhrmann to tears after which he proceeded to briefly narrate his Hollywood success story. Mainstream critics were divided on their views of Elvis but Presley’s family, much like the team of the jury at Cannes, thought it was the perfect chronicle of the legendary hip-shaker’s iconic career.
'The Artist' (2012) – 12 minutes
The Artist takes modern cinephiles back in time to the silent movie era. A magnum opus of Michel Hazanavicius, the black-and-white film proved with numerous points why the silent era was such a special period in Hollywood’s history. The Artist centers rising starlet Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) and veteran actor George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) in a time when the talkies were about to eclipse the silent era. Hazanavicius received resounding praise for his masterful execution of what was widely billed as a homage to the silent era. Ravishing cinematography, fabulous score, and a captivating performance from a brilliant cast, The Artist was an all-around success. It opened to a 12-minute standing ovation (at least) at Cannes, before going on to sweep a bevy of awards that included 5 Oscars, 7 BAFTAs, and 3 Golden Globes. Over a decade later, its grip remains firm on the trophy for the most-awarded French movie.
'Bowling for Columbine' (2002) – 13 minutes
The 1999 Columbine High School shooting left Americans with a million unanswered questions. A few years later, indie filmmaker Michael Moore attempted to offer some answers with his documentary, Bowling for Columbine. In addition to zooming his lenses on the possible causes of the tragic incident, Moore also assesses gun culture and the violence that derives from it in the US, subsequently touching on the need for stricter gun laws. His Cannes applause clocked in at 13 minutes and received the 55th Anniversary Prize after which he earned the Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars. Thousands darted into cinemas to watch the documentary which grossed $58 million against just a $4 million budget to become the highest-grossing documentary at that time. The following year, Moore broke his own record with Fahrenheit 9/11 which grossed over $220 million — more on that later.
'Belle' (2021) - 14 minutes
Belle is a poignant coming-of-age tale of 17-year-old Suzu (Kaho Nakamura) who becomes traumatized after watching her mom die. Consequently, she loses her singing abilities but regains them after signing up for a virtual metaverse called U where she takes on a freckled avatar named Belle. Prior to its Cannes screening, Oscar-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda described Belle as the film he had always wanted to make. Belle turned out to be one of Hosoda’s best works judging by the lengthy round of applause it received at Cannes.
'The Paperboy' (2012) – 15 minutes
After screening at Cannes, The Paperboy received a 15-minute-long standing ovation. The crowd’s reaction was enough to move Zac Efron to tears while Nicole Kidman confidently remained dry-eyed as she told the Hollywood Reporter that she had become used to the spectacle. However, post-Cannes, the lengthy applause proved to not be representative of the greater opinion, with reviews tilting more towards the negative side of the radar (putting it lightly). The Paperboy, directed by Lee Daniels, is a violent tale of the events that unfold after reporter Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) returns to his hometown to investigate the murder of a despicable local sheriff. The star-studded cast wasn't enough to pull numbers into the cinema as The Paperboy not only turned out with negative reviews but was a box office bomb. However, Kidman’s performance earned Best Supporting Actress nods from SAG and the Golden Globes.
'Capernaum' ( 2018) – 15 minutes
Capernaum is a film that explores the harrowing ordeal of a 12-year-old living in deplorable conditions in the slums of Bierut. Directed by Nadine Labaki and starring Zain Al Rafeea, a Syrian refugee in real life, Capernaum was nominated for Best International Film at the 91st Academy Awards. The compelling nature of Capernaum lies in just how difficult it is to watch the scenes of extreme poverty and the sheer misery that surrounds the life of Zain. All these combine to make Capernaum a gripping watch. It's no surprise it won Labaki a raft of awards and elicited a 15-minute standing ovation at Cannes.
'The Neon Demon' (2016) – 17 minutes
After shooting to number one on Twitter after its press screening that divided critics, Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn was destined to get a reaction from the Cannes crowd for this LA-set psychological horror thriller. Elle Fanning plays a fledgling model who moves to L.A. just after her 16th birthday to pursue a career in modeling. A gory, twisted, and intense tale of lust, beauty, and what one will do to make it to the top, The Neon Demon earned an impressive 17-minute standing ovation by the Cannes faithful, amidst all the booing and walkouts, that is.
'Mud' (2012) – 18 minutes
Mud is centered around two Arkansas teenagers Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) who help a fugitive (Matthew McConaughey) on a Mississippi Island get away from his bounty hunters and reunite him with his lover, Jumiper (Reese Witherspoon). Director and writer Jeff Nichols was lauded for his choice to shoot the movie around the lower White River and the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers which prove a masterstroke as it considerably elevates the scenery. A coherent piece of storytelling with a fairy tale vibe to it, Mud was heartwarming enough to evoke 18 minutes of rousing applause at the 2012 Cannes Festival.
'Fahrenheit 9/11' (2004) – 20 minutes
Following Bowling for Columbine just two years later, Moore was back with more critiques and satire on American politics. A damning condemnation of the George W. Bush presidency and its handling of events post 9/11. Though its accuracy has been a subject of debate, what has not been argued is the fact that the Michael Moore piece is thoroughly entertaining and eye-opening. At the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, it won the Palme d’Or and was saluted with an outstanding 20-minute ovation.
'Pan’s Labyrinth' (2006) – 22 minutes
Getting an audience to give applause for 22 minutes is no mean feat, let alone the Cannes audience. Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth holds this record and it is quite impressive that it's been standing since 2006. A fantasy film grounded in its historical setting, Pan’s Labyrinth is set five years after the Spanish Civil War. It is the story of 11-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who is confronted with the horrors of fascism but finds an escape into fantasy. As she journeys through this fantasy land, what is fantasy and what is real become more difficult to determine. Pan’s Labyrinth went on to win multiple awards, including three Oscars.