The History of the Standing Ovation at the Venice Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival kicks off each year at summer’s close, as part of the La Biennale di Venezia, an exhibition of arts in Venice. As the oldest film festival in history, its awards are considered some of the most highly coveted in the cinema industry. An influx in the media coverage of the event in the last few decades has also given rise to a trend in both the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals…the standing ovation.

Why the Standing Ovation?

The trend is an obvious evolution coming from an excited crowd feeling the need to leap to their feet, but it has gained a sort of currency in the industry of filmmaking. Critics and advertisers alike have been using the length of a film’s standing ovation as an indicator of the quality of the film, making it a metric relevant to the pitch and sales of the film. While the standing ovation can be an indicator of a cinematic cultural phenomenon in the making, it’s not always a foolproof method of gauging the commercial success of the film—case in point, The Paperboy, which received a 15-minute ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, then only made back half of the budget in sales.

Record Breaking Rounds of Applause

Still, the audience response to these screenings is often highly emotional and dramatic, with standing ovations for the most favorable films lasting up to 20 minutes. This incredible display of support has only increased in recent years, with each year bringing a new record to fight for the top spot in longest standing ovation. 

The longest ever ovation at the festival was recorded in 2024 when The Room Next Door received an 18-minute round of applause. Both The Testament of Ann Lee and The Smashing Machine came close to the record in 2025, stunning viewers with 15 minutes of applause each. Star Amanda Seyfried was moved to tears by this response, taking in the moment with obvious appreciation and humility. Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Jacob Elordi, reportedly received 14 minutes of applause, leaving the starring actors overwhelmed with gratitude. 

At the 2025 Venice Film Festival, Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab broke world records with a standing ovation that reportedly exceeded 23 minutes.

History of the Venice Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival kicks off each year at summer’s close, as part of the La Biennale di Venezia, an exhibition of arts in Venice. The event was first founded 93 years ago and was created to draw international cinema into the spotlight and cultivate freedom within the industry. It also encouraged tourism to Venice as well as being used as a political mouthpiece during the Second World War. There is a continuous emphasis upon the history of cinema as well as the restoration of classic films along with the screening of new releases.

The Golden Lion award, which replaced the Coppa Mussolini as the Venice Film Festival’s highest award, is given to the best shown film. Past masterpieces such as Belle de Jour, Vagabond, and Brokeback Mountain have taken home this exceptional award, as well as recent films Nomadland, Poor Things, and The Shape of Water.