Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme receives 6.5 minutes standing ovation at Cannes 2025

The Phoenician Scheme starring Benicio del Toro

Filmmaker Wes Anderson, who is known for his aesthetic frames, made a solid impact at the ongoing edition of the Cannes Film Festival with his latest directorial effort "The Phoenician Scheme".

The film played in competition two years after "Asteroid City" did the same at the 2023 festival, reports ‘Variety'.

"The Phoenician Scheme" earned Anderson and his sprawling cast a 6.5-minute standing ovation. Anderson's leading lady Mia Threapleton, who has acting in her blood thanks to mother Kate Winslet, was overcome with emotion as the applause raged on, smiling as tears poured down her face.

As per ‘Variety', flanked by stars Michael Cera and Benicio del Toro, Anderson kept his comments brief, saying, "I can think of about 12 words to say that stand for everything in this movie, Richard Ayoade, Riz, Alexandre, Michael, Mia, Jeffrey, Rupert, Benedict, God and Benicio del Toro".

"The Phoenician Scheme" stars del Toro as business magnate Zsa-zsa Korda, who happens to be one of the richest men in Europe. Threapleton stars as his daughter, a nun named Sister Liesel, with Cera making his long-awaited Wes Anderson movie debut as her tutor Bjorn Lund.

The film also features Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Mathieu Amalric, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis and Benedict Cumberbatch, all of whom have starred in at least one previous Anderson feature.

In addition to his star-studded cast, a number of celebrities who did not appear in the film were on hand, including Julianne Moore and Ed Norton. After hosting "SNL" on Saturday night, Johansson missed the premiere but will be on the ground on Tuesday to unveil her feature directing debut, "Eleanor the Great".

Anderson is a favorite of the French given that he has made Paris his adopted home. He is as precise with his on-the-ground logistics in Cannes as he is as a filmmaker, mandating that the film's team all lodge together outside the city of Eze, about an hour away from the festival.

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