Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson donned the director's hat for Eleanor The Great that premiered at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard competition.
Scarlett Johansson and her cast earned a five-minute standing ovation, reported Variety. The film stars June Squibb, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Erin Kellyman, in key roles.
Johansson attended the screening with her writer and actor husband Colin Jost. Oscar winning actor Adrien Brody and his partner Georgina Chapman were also in attendance.
On her directorial debut being premiered at Cannes, Johansson called it "really a dream come true".
“When you make a film that's an independent film like this, no one's doing it for the money, surprise, surprise”, she added. “Really, everyone that came together for this film came together because they loved the story, the script so much. It's a film about many things, it's about friendship, it's about grief, it's about forgiveness. And I think those are all themes that we can use a lot more of these days," said The Phoenician Scheme star.
A video post the screening has gone viral where Scarlett can be seen hugging 95-year-old Squibb, who played the lead role of Eleanor Morgenstein in the film.
She called her "truly inspiring" and also called Kellyman an "absolute revelation" and said she was "so excited for the world to meet her".
"It's a film that I feel is historic and also very timely now, and so I hope that you all carry it with you the way that I carry Eleanor with me", she said further.
It's a double celebration for the 40-year-old star as her film, The Phoenician Scheme, directed by Wes Anderson was recently screened at the ongoing festival followed by a thunderous standing ovation. The film is competing for the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2025.
