Julia Ducournau’s ‘Titane’ Follow-Up ‘Alpha’ Gets Thunderous 11.5-Minute Cannes Ovation After Premiere Sees Attendee Carried Out on Stretcher

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Director Julia Ducournau triumphantly returned to Cannes on Monday night with her new film, “Alpha,” a gripping mother-daughter infection thriller. This movie received an exceptionally warm welcome after its premiere, with a 11.5-minute standing ovation – one of the most enthusiastic in-person receptions at this year’s film festival so far.

During the initial showing of “Alpha”, there was a temporary halt when, around an hour into the screening, people in the upper tier started waving their phone torches. Some spectators called for a physician in French, requesting the presentation to stop. Eventually, paramedics showed up and shortly after that, one viewer was taken away on a stretcher. Despite this, the movie carried on playing without any pauses while the incident was being handled.

EbMaster contacted the festival’s press team for additional details. The specific reason behind the medical emergency remains unknown at this time. There was no indication that the incident was connected to the content of Ducournau’s film, as it hadn’t shown anything particularly shocking in its narrative yet.

In a new production, stars known for frequenting the Cannes Film Festival, Golshifteh Farahani and Tahar Rahim, join Emma Mackey, who’s popular for her role in “Sex Education,” along with Finnegan Oldfield. The story revolves around the main character, a 13-year-old girl grappling with troubles, living with her single mother. According to the synopsis from Cannes, their life takes a dramatic turn when she comes home from school with a tattoo on her arm.

Julia Ducournau has made history at Cannes with her previous work “Titane,” which was a standout body horror psychological drama and won the Palme d’Or at the 2021 festival, led by Spike Lee. This makes her the second female director to receive Cannes’ top prize. Now, Ducournau is gearing up for her third feature film titled “Alpha.” Her first film, the cannibal adolescence thriller “Raw,” was premiered at Cannes in the Critics’ Week sidebar back in 2016.

2021 saw me standing on the very stage where, as a child, I used to marvel at the Cannes Film Awards. Back then, I believed that every movie honored there was flawless, simply because they graced that stage. Tonight, though, I find myself on this same hallowed ground, and yet, I’m aware that my film is far from perfect – in fact, it might even be considered monstrous by some standards. However, I don’t think any film is truly perfect from the perspective of its creator. Instead, mine is a unique blend of passion, imperfection, and perhaps a touch of the extraordinary.

As a movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that “Alpha” is the second feature film by Ducournau that has graced the Cannes competition. The distributor, Neon, who brought us “Titane,” has joined forces with this talented filmmaker yet again for the release of “Alpha.

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2025-05-20 02:20