Cannes 2026|Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All Of A Sudden Earns Longest Ovation Yet

All of a Sudden has emerged as one of the strongest contenders at the Cannes Film Festival 2026 after receiving a seven-minute standing ovation during its competition premiere on Friday. Directed by Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the emotional drama reportedly earned the longest applause of the festival so far, with several audience members seen openly weeping inside the Palais.

The film marks Hamaguchi’s first French-language feature and his first major project set primarily outside Japan. Starring Virginie Efira and Okamoto Tao, the three-hour drama explores grief, terminal illness and human connection through the relationship between two women brought together under difficult circumstances.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s French Debut Moves Cannes Audience

Set between Paris and Kyoto, All of a Sudden follows the director of a Paris nursing home built around the philosophy of “humanitude”, a care system focused on preserving patient dignity. Okamoto plays a terminally ill Japanese theatre director whose arrival slowly transforms the emotional lives around her.

As applause filled the theatre after the screening, it was said by Hamaguchi through a translator, “Thank you for staying with us for this long movie.” The filmmaker also credited the cast and crew for making the project possible.

Efira and Okamoto were both visibly emotional during the ovation, while celebrities including Riley Keough and Eric Cantona attended the premiere.

Cannes 2026 standing ovation signals strong awards buzz

The film is loosely inspired by the published correspondence You and I – The Illness Suddenly Get Worse by Makiko Miyano and Maho Isono. Hamaguchi co-wrote the screenplay with Léa Le Dimna after spending nearly two years developing the project in France.

The Cannes response has already intensified awards chatter around the film. Hamaguchi previously won major honours at Cannes with Drive My Car, which later earned four Academy Award nominations.

North American distribution rights for All of a Sudden are held by Neon, while the film is scheduled to release in Japan on June 19 before opening in France later this summer.