Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis" Earns 7-Minute Standing Ovation at Cannes

Francis Ford Coppola’s controversial two-hour and 20-minute dystopian drama “Megalopolis” divided the audience at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night with its collision course of shocking scenes.

The iconic director Coppola has also received a four-minute standing ovation upon entering the room. 

He blew kisses to the audience members, who clapped in sync for the filmmaker, and sat down between Shire and Driver. Coppola family members, including his nephew Jason Schwartzman (who also has a role in the film) and Mars, attended to support the director.

After the credits rolled — which included a tribute to his late wife Eleanor — and the standing ovation began, Coppola hugged Driver and Giancarlo Esposito and got emotional as he made a speech dedicating the film to hope and family.“Thank you all so much. It is so impossible to find words to tell you how I feel,” Coppola said. “But they were not the only family because all of these wonderful actors and folks were all my family. As Cesar [Driver’s character in the film] says, we’re all one family. You’re all my cousins. We are one. We are the human family,".

"As you see at the end, that’s who we should pledge our allegiance to: our entire family and to this beautiful home, Earth, that we have. That is my wish. That it’s the children who are going to inherit this beautiful world from us. The most important word we have is the most beautiful word in any language: ‘esperanza.’ Hope. And that’s what I dedicate this to,” he added.

Speaking of family, Coppola was flanked by his sister Talia Shire and granddaughter Romy Mars — known for her viral TikTok about her parents, Sofia Coppola and “Phoenix” frontman Thomas Mars, not letting her charter a helicopter — who has a small role in the pic.

“Megalopolis” marks the director’s first film in over a decade, since 2011’s “Twixt” and has confounded critics and Coppola fans alike for its wide scope and deep allegory for the director’s career. 

The sci-fi drama follows architect Cesar Catilina (Driver), who after an accident destroys a New York City-esque metropolis, works to rebuild it as a sustainable utopia. Corrupt mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito) challenges Cesar and wants to stick to the status quo, but his daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) comes between the two men. 

Coppola has been trying to make “Megalopolis” for decades, eventually using $120 million of his own money from his wine empire to produce the film. Controversy has surrounded the movie as its premiere has approached, as its expense and reportedly muted responses to early screenings have made it difficult to secure distribution. 

However, Le Pacte has acquired the French distribution rights to the film and Goodfellas has signed on to handle international sales. It is competing for the Palme d’Or.

“Megalopolis” also stars Shire, Jon Voight, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, Fineman, Madeleine Gardella, Balthazar Getty, Bailey Ives, Isabelle Kusman, James Remar, and D. B. Sweeney.

Considered one of the greatest directors of all time for classics like “The Godfather” saga and “Apocalypse Now,” Coppola has a long history with the Cannes Film Festival. 

He has won the Palme d’Or twice, for 1974’s “The Conversation” and 1979’s “Apocalypse Now.” He also served as the festival’s competition jury president in 1996.