The overindulgent — but undoubtedly significant — tradition of the standing ovation at the has sparked polarizing feelings among filmmakers, critics and industry executives alike. “I hate it because it reduces a movie to a single data point, but it’s a very sticky data point,” an executive at a major U.S.
indie distributor told in May. “People remember, ‘That film got a 10-minute standing ovation in Cannes.’ ” Despite the fact the procedure is often mocked, it inarguably become a barometer of how films are perceived.
There is no exact science as to how the standing ovation gets recorded, however, premieres are largely attended by industry professionals who time the applause with a stopwatch. Different critics have various rules and regulations for how they clock each respective audience. For , the guidelines are to “start the clock the moment people jump to their feet — usually after the house lights come up — and stop when most people begin to sit down or when the film’s director is given the mic since the crowd stops clapping to listen.
” Filmmakers and actors can also have sway on how long their applause lasts. At this year’s festival, reportedly encouraged the crowd to yell “ ” in unison to make the moment last. (The ovation ultimately clocked in at six minutes.
) While long standing ovations used to be reserved for only the most anticipated films of the year — holds the longest record for 22 minutes in 2006 — the tradition is seemingly.
