The record for the longest standing ovation at Cannes is held by Guillermo del Toro’s (Pan’s Labyrinth) with 22 minutes of applause. Other films with lengthy ovations include Fahrenheit 9/11 (20 minutes). Sentimental Value with 19 minutes. Mud with 18 minutes, and The Neon Demon with 17 minutes. The length of applause can vary depending on the source, with some reporting longer durations for certain films. Below are 10 movies at Cannes that received long-standing ovations.
Here is a List of 10 Movies at Cannes That Received Notably Long-Standing Ovations
1. “Bird”- 7 minutes
Bird, a coming-of-age drama, is a strange, elliptical movie, but one that clearly captured the hearts of the Cannes audience at its premiere, which received a seven-minute standing ovation at its May 6 premiere.
2.”Megalopolis”- 7 minutes
Megalopolis is a bizarre labor of love that provokes as much confusion as it does admiration. But Francis Ford Coppola’s massive epic about a futuristic New York was the most highly anticipated film at the 2024 Cannes festival, so it’s no shock that it got a luxurious applause as the credits rolled. One of the 10 Movies at Cannes, while Hollywood Reporter puts the count at 10 minutes, Variety and Deadline both list the standing ovation at around seven minutes long.
3. “Furiosa”-6 minutes
The much-anticipated prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road, “Furiosa” is a film that’s constantly moving, so it’s no surprise that its ovation was on the shorter end of long Cannes applause. George Miller’s action film was greeted with a rapturous reception at the ceremony, with a six-minute ovation for stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, according to Variety. Amusingly, both stars appeared on The One Show in Australia the day after the premiere, where they admitted that the long applause was a bit awkward.
4.” The Apprentice”-8 minutes
Although the reception for “The Apprentice,” Ali Abbasi’s biopic that stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump, was mixed, it’s to be expected that a heavily political film will get Cannes attendees up out of their seats no matter what. Deadline reported that the applause for “The Apprentice’ at the 2024 festival was nearly 11 minutes, while The Hollywood Reporter and Variety both put it at a slightly more conservative estimate of eight minutes.
5.”Killers of the Flower Moon”-9 minutes
Any film that lands a coveted slot on the Cannes lineup comes with some built-in intrigue, but few movies ever enter the festival with the level of excitement that followed “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Martin Scorsese’s $200 million passion project that united his longtime muses Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro was always destined to be the buzziest premiere on the Croissette, and early reviews declared that it lived up to the highest expectations. The premiere was a special moment for Scorsese fans, and the Cannes audience rewarded the auteur with a nine-minute standing ovation.
6. “The Substance”-9 minutes
One of the most acclaimed films at the Croisette in 2024, “The Substance” stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid in a body horror satire of showbiz and body image. The film has been described as incredibly gross by the critics who have seen it and achieved a nine-minute standing ovation according to The Hollywood Reporter. Deadline put the reception for Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore feature even higher, reporting a 13-minute applause.
7. “Horizon: An American Saga”-10 minutes
In this one of the 10 movies at Cannes, it debuted to negative reviews at the 2024 Cannes Festival; IndieWire gave the film a “C-” Bad reviews have never stopped a project from getting its moment at the Croisette though, and the combination of Costner’s appearance and the film’s scope presumably helped land the film a 10-minute ovation, according to both People and The Hollywood Reporter.
8. “Carol”-10 minutes
Todd Haynes’ 2015 love story “Carol,” based on the Patricia Highsmith novel “The Price of Salt,” stars Cate Blanchett as a wealthy married woman who falls for a young saleswoman (Rooney Mara) and embarks on a complicated relationship. Cannes audiences stood for 10 minutes to applaud the lesbian romance period piece. The film received an A rating from IndieWire and went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards. One of the 10 Movies at Cannes that received a long-standing ovation.
9. “The Beaver”-10 minutes
Jodie Foster directed Mel Gibson in the 2011 psychological drama “The Beaver” about a depressed man who uses a hand puppet to express emotion. While the film went on to be a box office bomb, grossing $3.7 million against a $21 million budget, “The Beaver” was a successful film at Cannes with a 10-minute standing ovation. IndieWire gave the quirky film a modest B rating.
10. “BlacKKKlansman”-10 minutes
Spike Lee’s historical drama “BlacKKKlansman” centered on Colorado Springs detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), who infiltrated a local Ku Klux Klan chapter with the help of fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver). These one of the 10 movies at Cannes, which premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. The film later received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. “BlacKKKlansman” earned a B+ rating from IndieWire and had Cannes audiences on their feet for 10 minutes.
Some of the Most Powerful Cannes Movies Receiving Long-Standing Ovations!
These are just 10 movies at Cannes that have received notably long-standing ovations out of many more than them. At just shy of 20 minutes, one movie’s reception came close to the longest standing ovation in Cannes history. Pan’s Labyrinth holds the record for the longest standing ovation at the Cannes Festival, with a duration of 22 minutes.
