• Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson’s new film Full Phil premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on May 17
• The absurd father-daughter comedy earned a five-minute standing ovation despite a mixed audience reaction
• Director Quentin Dupieux returns to Cannes after opening the 2024 festival with The Second Act
• Stewart danced, waved, and pulled faces during the ovation, trying to redirect attention to her co-stars
• The cast also includes Emma Mackey, Charlotte Le Bon, Tim Heidecker, and Eric Wareheim

Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson brought their new movie to the Palais — and the Palais gave it right back. Full Phil, the absurdist father-daughter comedy from French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux, had its world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, May 17, and walked away with a five-minute standing ovation — even if the film itself left the crowd a little divided.

The midnight screening drew a full house that was rowdy and ready from the start. Before the film even rolled, Dupieux and his cast — including Emma Mackey, whose previous film Ella McCay was a massive hit in France, and Charlotte Le Bon — were met with loud applause just walking out. The energy in the room was high. And then the movie played.

The surreal comedy pulled laughs throughout, but according to reports from inside the Palais, ultimately seemed to fall a little flat. When the credits rolled, the applause was polite. But when the lights came up and the cast appeared, fans got to their feet — and stayed there for five full minutes.

Stewart, never one to just stand and soak it in, made the moment her own. She pulled faces at the camera, waved up to the balcony, and at one point started dancing in place — all while visibly trying to steer the spotlight toward her co-stars. Very her.

What Full Phil Is Actually About

In the film, Stewart and Harrelson play Madeleine and Philip Doom — a daughter and her wealthy American business magnate father who travel to Paris in an attempt to reconnect. What gets in the way? French cuisine, a 1950s horror film, and a nosy hotel employee. Classic Dupieux territory: a simple premise that quietly goes completely sideways.

The full cast also includes Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, rounding out what is a distinctly offbeat ensemble for a distinctly offbeat filmmaker.

Earlier in the day, the whole crew — Stewart, Harrelson, Mackey, Le Bon, Heidecker, Wareheim, and Dupieux — stepped out for a photocall at the Palais des Festivals, both stars in sunglasses and clearly in good spirits. On the red carpet that evening, Stewart wore Chanel, Harrelson wore Celine, and Mackey stepped out in a custom Louis Vuitton gown.

Why Stewart Wanted This Role So Badly

Stewart has been open about the fact that working with Dupieux was something she’d been chasing. In an interview with Variety ahead of the festival, she didn’t hold back on the admiration.

“I love his movies. They just don’t look or feel like anyone else’s, and those are the types of directors that actors are so lucky to be able to follow,” she said. “He holds the camera at all times. You are with him, connected completely. He knows how he’s going to edit it by the end of the day. If he’s missing a shot, he gets it. He’s beyond an auteur, he’s like a mastermind.”

For Dupieux, this is a return to Cannes after opening the 2024 festival with The Second Act. For Stewart, it’s her second consecutive year on the Croisette — last year she was here as a director, premiering The Chronology of Water, her debut behind the camera, starring Imogen Poots as a swimmer navigating addiction. That film received critical acclaim and cemented her reputation as a serious filmmaker, not just a serious actor.

And she’s not slowing down. Stewart is also set to portray Sally Ride — the first American woman in space — in The Challenger, an upcoming Prime Video limited series inspired by Meredith E. Bagby’s book The New Guys. It’ll mark her first regular TV series role.

Mixed reactions or not, a five-minute standing ovation at Cannes is still a five-minute standing ovation. And watching Kristen Stewart dance through it like she’s embarrassed and delighted in equal measure? That part wasn’t mixed at all.

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