Bardem’s ‘The Beloved’ earns 7-minute ovation at Cannes

Javier Bardem starred in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” which received a seven-minute standing ovation at its Cannes screening Friday, according to Deadline.deadline
Judith Godrèche and Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux appeared together at a photocall for Godrèche’s directorial debut, “A Girl’s Story,” screening in Un Certain Regard.reutersconnect
Paweł Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland,” starring Sandra Hüller, premiered in competition May 14 alongside jury member Demi Moore‘s red carpet appearance.flickdirect

Cannes 2026 Draws Stars for Film Premieres and Photocalls

The 79th Cannes Film Festival, running May 12 through May 23 on the French Riviera, continued to draw a parade of global talent this week as competition screenings and photocalls brought filmmakers, actors, and literary figures to the Croisette.

Godreche and Ernaux Unite for “A Girl’s Story”

French director and actress Judith Godreche appeared alongside Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Annie Ernaux at a photocall for “A Girl’s Story” (“Mémoire de fille”), Godreche’s directorial debut, which is screening in the Un Certain Regard section. The film adapts Ernaux’s 2016 autobiographical novel about a young woman’s formative and traumatic experiences at a summer camp in 1958. The photocall on the Croisette drew attention as a union of two prominent French cultural figures — Ernaux, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2022, and Godreche, who became a leading voice in France’s #MeToo movement.facebook

“Fatherland” and “The Beloved” Command the Competition

Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski returned to Cannes competition on May 14 with “Fatherland,” a biographical drama about Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika during a road trip through postwar Germany in 1949. The film stars Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler. Demi Moore, serving this year as a member of the official jury led by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, attended the screening. Diane Kruger, wearing Givenchy, also walked the red carpet for the premiere.instagram

Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “El Ser Querido” (“The Beloved”), starring Javier Bardem, screened on May 16 and received a seven-minute standing ovation, according to Deadline. The film follows an acclaimed but troubled filmmaker who casts his estranged daughter in a new project.youtube

Khoudri Brings “In Waves” to Critics’ Week

French-Algerian actress Lyna Khoudri, who lends her voice to the French-language version of the animated feature “In Waves,” was also present at the festival. Directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen and adapted from AJ Dungo’s graphic novel, the film was selected to open the 65th edition of Cannes Critics’ Week. Khoudri attended a screening to promote the project as the festival’s parallel sections continued to spotlight emerging and independent cinema alongside the main competition slate.arabnews