Kristen Stewart’s long-awaited directorial debut The Chronology of Water acquired a heat reception at its world premiere in Cannes Friday night time, with the group contained in the Palais des Festivals greeting the movie with a four-and-a-half-minute standing ovation.
An emotional Stewart embraced her actors with hugs and high-fives because the ovation carried on. She later bounded throughout the auditorium to present Cannes head Thierry Frémaux a protracted hug.
“I don’t have the rest to say; I left all of it on the display,” Stewart stated partially. “Simply thanks all for being right here. Severely, we completed the film 5 minutes in the past — it’s not even carried out. We received so fortunate, and I’m so grateful to be right here.”
She then gestured to her star, Imogen Poots, to take the mic, saying, “Really, your physique is the film, I’m giving it to you.”
An emotional Poots obliged, saying solely, “She’s the very best director, and I hope you all appreciated the film.”
(L-R) Kristen Stewart, Esmé Creed-Miles, Imogen Poots and Michael Epp of ‘The Chronology of Water.’
The venture was produced by Scott Free Productions, with Ridley Scott among the many producers, and was filmed in Latvia and Malta over six weeks in 2024. Stewart tailored Yuknavitch’s memoir herself with co-writer Andy Mingo, reportedly aiming to retain the fragmented, stream-of-consciousness high quality of the unique textual content. The movie additionally stars Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon and Jim Belushi in supporting roles.
Stewart was characteristically candid and off-the-cuff when discussing the movie with THR forward of the premiere. “I can’t consider it,” she stated about returning to the Côte d’Azur to current her first movie as a characteristic filmmaker, earlier than including of the movie, “that is my fucking first draft … We’re operating in right here half-dressed. However I’m into it.”
She joked that she hoped The Chronology of Water “crashes and burns” in Cannes, including that making errors is “fucking sizzling.”
Stewart additionally stated she needed to direct properly earlier than her profession as a significant Hollywood actress started some 20 years in the past. “I believe I used to be 9 years previous,” she stated of when the impulse to direct first hit her.
Contained in the Debussy theater in Cannes Friday night time, Stewart launched the characteristic from the stage by saying, “I’d like to talk so plainly only for one second. This was a radical act of affection. All I need to say, earlier than everybody right here engages with it with our minds and our our bodies is that after eight years of reminiscence making, this iteration is asking for nothing however to be seen and heard. And so my excessive gratitude goes to each thoughts and physique who’s sitting on this theater now that’s going so as to add to the expertise and multiply it. The film invitations you to have at it.”
And he or she concluded her remarks with an intense because of Yuknavitch for creating the e-book that might spawn the characteristic: “Lydia, thanks for writing and spewing within the very face of fuck. Thanks for the trickle. Thanks for the gush. Thanks for all the pieces. Now let’s rip off this bandaid and watch the fucking film!”
A number of main actors are debuting works as first-time administrators at Cannes this yr. Scarlett Johansson will unveil Eleanor the Nice, starring 95-year-old display favourite June Squibb, and Babygirl star Harris Dickinson — quickly set to headline Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopics for Sony — will premiere his characteristic drama, Urchin.