From fast cars to Frodo, day three of the Cannes Film Festival had a bit of everything. An emotional tribute by Vin Diesel to the late Paul Walker during a 25th anniversary screening of The Fast and the Furious brought the Palais to tears, while Pawel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland brought the audience to their feet with a lengthy standing ovation and officially ignited the Best Actress race for the film’s star, Sandra Hüller. Speaking of standing-Os, the film reporters fired up their stopwatches to start tracking the reception for movie premieres and there’s a surprise early leader in the clubhouse.
Remember brother Pablo
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original The Fast and the Furious, cast members Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster, as well as producer Neal H. Moritz and Paul Walker’s daughter, Meadow, attended a midnight screening.
After the screening, Diesel took a moment to address his late friend, who died in a car crash in 2013, while speaking to the audience at Lumiere Theatre.
“I pray that in your life, you can have a brother like Paul,” Diesel said, choking up. “It’s so hard for me to watch it because there’s so many moments in this movie that you see, that I see differently,” Diesel added. “The scene that you see, I see the moment Pablo told me he had a 1-year-old daughter.”
He then embraced Meadow and said, “She said, ‘I’m 27, and I’m watching this film that my father made at 27,’ and I thought, ‘How profound,’” Diesel said. “Meadow has been such a source of strength, and I know he’d be so proud of you.”
Before the screening began, Diesel, who arrived on the red carpet wearing a custom black jacket with Fast Forever, the title of the upcoming 2028 finale, emblazoned in rhinestones on the back, confirmed the franchise’s end. “The only reason why we’re making the finale of Fast for March 2028 is because of each and every one of you that has given us your hearts and your loyalty,” he said.
The Rings-master speaks
Peter Jackson shared some new details at Cannes about his collaboration with Stephen Colbert on The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past. “He phoned me up a year ago — before he knew his show was going to finish — and said, ‘I don’t know if you’re interested, but I’ve got an idea for a Tolkien movie based on the books that I think would be really good,’” Jackson told Variety.
The director, who was honored with a Palme d’Or on opening night, was indeed impressed with Colbert’s pitch and connected him with his long-time co-writer Philippa Boyens. Jackson said the project helped the Emmy-winning late-night show host transition into a new career post-The Late Show. “I think Steven’s actually really happy — I think it helped him process [something that] what was rather shocking,” Jackson said. “So it was like, ‘OK, one day he’s going to be a late-night talk show host, and the next day he’s going to be a Tolkien scriptwriter.’”
Let the Oscar buzz begin
Pawel Pawlikowski returned to the Croisette on Thursday with the world premiere of Fatherland, starring Sandra Hüller. The drama, which has been one of the most anticipated titles of the festival, was met with a five-minute standing ovation inside the Palais’ Grand Lumiére Theatre and catapulted Hüller into the Best Actress conversation.
Pawlikowski took a moment to address the crowd, saying, “Thank you so much, I hope at least half of you really meant it.” The Oscar-winning director also praised his team: “To be here with these beautiful people who worked on this film in really hard conditions, we have arrived at Versailles — at this beautiful temple to cinema — and all our strife and troubles are forgotten. And I think, for once, I really enjoyed watching my film.”
While the ovation was undeniably positive, it didn’t quite reach the record-shattering heights of the festival’s history. That distinction still belongs to Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, which famously received a 22-minute ovation. Coincidentally, del Toro’s masterpiece helped kick off this year’s fest anniversary celebrations at Cannes on May 13.
Demi’s ‘flashbulb frenzy’
Meanwhile, Demi Moore continued to serve up high fashion on the red carpets. The actress, who is serving as a member of the Cannes jury, first appeared in a custom purple Gucci gown for the premiere of La Vie D’Une Femme (A Woman’s Life), before pivoting to a red-hot moment for the Fatherland premiere in a second, equally bold Gucci design.
This year marks Moore’s return to the Croisette after her 2024 breakout with The Substance. She admits she was initially stunned to receive the invitation to help decide the Palme d’Or. “My first thought was, ‘Me?’” Moore said with a laugh during a press conference. “I feel tremendously honored and super excited.”
The Standing-O scoreboard
| Film | Length of ovation* |
| Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | 7 |
| Parallel Tales | 6 |
| Fatherland | 5 |
*averaged from published reports
