Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie was moved to tears after receiving an eight-minute-long standing ovation on Thursday following the premiere of biographical drama Maria at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in Italy.
Jolie plays the late opera singer Maria Callas in the Pablo Larrain-directed film.
A video shared by a fan account shows the Academy Award-winning actress wiping tears and briefly turning away from the crowd. The footage also shows Jolie embracing Larrain.
Jolie, who is in the midst of a protracted divorce from actor-producer Brad Pitt, was escorted down the stairs by Larrain as the crowd continued to clap for her.
The 49-year-old actress looked stunning in a custom beige gown at the film festival. Designed by Tamara Ralph, the wrap gown flowed into a chiffon train. Jolie opted for a brown faux-fur wrap and a golden brooch to complement her outfit.
A golden bracelet and matching rings and earrings rounded off Jolie’s look for the event. For her makeup, the actress went with bold red lips, smoky eyes, and straight, side-parted hair.
The 2024 Venice Film Festival, which kicked off on August 28 with a tribute video celebrating American actress Sigourney Weaver’s illustrious career, is slated to end on September 7.
Maria explores opera singer Maria Callas’ tumultuous and tragic life, focusing on her final days in 1970s’ Paris.
This film is Larraín’s third biographical drama of a renowned woman. In 2016, he made Jackie based on the life of Jacqueline Kennedy. Later in 2021, he made the film Spencer based on the life of Princess Diana. Both the films premiered in Venice.
Penned by Steve Knight, Maria also stars Valeria Golino, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Haluk Bilginer, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Zora Gerda Fejes, Jeremy Wheeler, Rebecka Johnston, Alessandro Bressanello, Toma Hrisztov, Stephen Ashfield, Christiana Aloneftis, Philipp Droste, Marcell Lengyel, Kay Madsen, Luca Gréta Felhalmi and Botond Bartus.
Maria will reportedly be screened at the New York Film Festival in September before finally dropping on Netflix later this year.
