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Kristen Stewart’s first movie as a director, The Chronology of Water, had a powerful and emotional debut at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night. When the film ended, the audience gave it a standing ovation that lasted for four and a half minutes — a huge sign of how much they loved it.
Kristen was visibly touched by the reaction. She gave hugs and high-fives to her cast as the applause filled the Palais des Festivals. She even walked over to Cannes festival director Thierry Frémaux and gave him a warm, heartfelt hug.
When she spoke to the crowd, Kristen kept it simple and sincere. She said, “I don’t have anything else to say; I left it all on the screen. Just thank you all for being here. Seriously, we finished the movie five minutes ago — it’s not even done. We got so lucky, and I’m so grateful to be here.”
She then invited the lead actress, Imogen Poots, to say a few words. Kristen praised her, saying, “Truly, your body is the movie; I’m giving it to you.” Poots replied modestly, “She’s the best director, and I hope you all liked the movie.”
The film is adapted from Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir and was co-written by Kristen Stewart and Andy Mingo. It was produced by Scott Free Productions, with the famous Ridley Scott among the producers. Filming took place over six weeks in Latvia and Malta. Along with Imogen Poots, the cast includes Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, and Jim Belushi.
Before the screening, Kristen introduced the movie at the Debussy Theatre, describing it as “a radical act of love.” She gave a big thank you to Yuknavitch for the original book, saying, “Lydia, thank you for writing and spewing in the very face of f**k. Thank you for the trickle. Thank you for the gush. Thank you for everything. Now let’s rip off this bandaid and watch the fucking movie!”
This year at Cannes, Kristen is among several first-time directors showing their work. Others include Scarlett Johansson with Eleanor the Great and Harris Dickinson with Urchin.