5-Minute Standing Ovation Moves 'Stillwater' Star Matt Damon To Tears At Cannes

Moved by the crowd's warm reception of the feature drama "Stillwater," Matt Damon became emotional during a standing ovation given to the film's cast and director at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night.

As the lights went up and the credits rolled, the cast and Oscar-winning film director Tom McCarthy assembled together as the crowd stood and applauded for nearly five minutes. Amid the ecstatic cheers from the crowd, the 50-year-old actor was brought to tears, reported Deadline.

The positive response from the crowd also led McCarthy to grab a microphone although filmmakers do not normally deliver speeches during a Cannes premiere.

"I'm overwhelmed to be here, I've been so greatly influenced by the cinema of this country and of Europe," McCarthy said as per Variety.

"It's so inspiring to present a film to this amazing audience in this iconic theater … that's all I can come up with in this instant-tradition moment," he added.

"Stillwater," a non-competing entry at the festival, tells the story of Bill Baker (Damon), an American construction worker who heads to Marseille after his daughter (Abigail Breslin), an exchange student, gets accused of murdering her girlfriend. Baker endures years of expensive lawyers to defend her daughter in a crime she did not commit. Along the way, Baker befriends a single mom and her daughter, adding color to the story and giving audiences a peek into another layer of Damon's character as a father.

In a review of the movie, Baker's character was described as someone who does not fall into the stereotypical "ugly American."

"Bill prays, he's polite and he believes in doing the right thing. And if Allison says she's innocent, then the right thing in this God-fearing, gun-owning guy's eyes is to help her prove it," the review read.

Newcomer Lilou Siauvaud, who plays the young daughter of Baker's romantic interest in the film, also won hearts that night. "A mini star was born," Variety said, owing to Damon and Siauvaud's undeniable on-screen chemistry that resonated well with the audience.

After a hiatus last year, the 74th edition of Cannes returned this week with a host of films premiering from the global film community, including "The Velvet Underground" from Todd Haynes, "The French Dispatch" from Wes Anderson and "Annette," starring Adam Driver.

"Stillwater" will be released in the U.S. on July 30.