Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino ascended the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival this evening for the premiere of his latest competition entry, “Parthenope,” which was greeted with a nine-minute standing ovation. “This movie is a celebration of the journey of my life,” the humbled filmmaker told the crowd.
“Parthenope” follows a woman born in the sea of Naples in 1950 as she searches for happiness over the long summers of her youth, falling in love with her home city and its memorable characters. Sorrentino shot the Italian-French co-production between Naples and Capri. The film’s breakout star, Celeste Dalla Porta, was visibly moved by the audience’s reaction, welling up as they applauded.
The cast includes Dario Aita, Celeste Dalla Porta, Silvia Degrandi, Isabella Ferrari, Lorenzo Gleijeses, Biagio Izzo, Marlon Joubert, Peppe Lanzetta, Nello Mascia, Gary Oldman, Silvio Orlando, Luisa Ranieri, Daniele Rienzo, Stefania Sandrelli, and Alfonso Santagata.
“Parthenope” marks the seventh Sorrentino film to play at Cannes, following “The Consequences of Love” (2004), “Il Divo” (2008), which won the Jury Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize, “This Must Be the Place” (2011), which also won the Ecumenical Jury Prize, “The Great Beauty” (2013), and “Youth” (2015). “The Great Beauty” went on to win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2014.
Sorrentino’s 2021 film, “The Hand of God,” debuted at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and earned an Oscar nomination.
