U2 frontman and rock legend Bono just rocked the Palais with documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender, receiving a 6½-minute ovation. At the five-minute mark, he jokingly started to unbutton his shirt to keep the applause going.
A rep for director Andrew Dominik said the filmmaker “is unfortunately working right now and could not make it to Cannes.”
Playing in the Special Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival, the Andrew Dominik-directed doc is culled from Bono’s 2023 one-man show at New York’s Beacon Theatre, weaving performances of his best-known songs into a tale of a boy suffering the shocking loss of his mother and trying in vain to get the needed acknowledgment from a grieving father.
RELATED: Cannes Film Festival 2025 in Photos: Bono, Kristen Stewart, ‘The Chronology of Water’ and ‘Eddington’ Premieres
Of the doc, the Dublin native and lifetime human rights activist recently told Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr., “I had to dig quite deep and just go for a family story. All families are little operas, some bigger than others. There’s always the soap opera, and there’s suds here. There are tenors; there’s the figure of my father, which kind of dominates. And the band. People wouldn’t be turning up to hear my story if it wasn’t for them. Overall, as excruciating as it’s been — and I’m glad it’s over — this is a great close to it.” (Read that in-depth interview here.)
RELATED: Bono On Trump’s Gutting Of AIDS Treatment And Prevention Programs Abroad: “Who Would Want That On Their Conscience?” – Cannes Studio
Bono: Stories of Surrender, from RadicalMedia and Plan B Entertainment, debuts globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 30. The same day, Bono: Stories of Surrender (Immersive) premieres on Apple Vision Pro, the tech company’s mixed-reality platform.
RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick produce alongside Plan B’s Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Bono executive produces with Jennifer Pitcher and Kelly McNamara.
Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.
RELATED: Standing Ovations At Cannes: How We Clock Those Claps, Which Movie Holds The Record & Why The Industry Loves To Hate The Ritual
RELATED: Cannes Film Festival 2025: Read All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews
