Paweł Pawlikowski’s third go-round at Cannes, the in-competition Fatherland, received a six-minute ovation Thursday in its world premiere at the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
That marks two big standing ovations for theatrical distributor Mubi following last night’s Un Certain Regard premiere Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, which landed an unexpected nine-minute ovation.
“I hope at least fifty percent of you really meant it,” said a teary Pawlikowski to the crowd after the screening, referring to the ovation. In giving thanks to his cast and his crew he added, “In the current conditions we land at Versailles — this beautiful temple to cinema and all our strife and troubles are forgotten. For once, I really enjoyed watching one of my films.”
Pawel Pawlikowski jokes that perhaps fifty percent of the six minute ovation for ‘Fatherland’ is “genuine,” as Sandra Hüller wearing a spiky porcupine jacket looks on pic.twitter.com/W0tjPsI65o
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 14, 2026
Fatherland stars Hanns Zischler as Nobel Prize-winning author Thomas Mann and Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller as Erika Mann – actress, writer and rally driver. Set at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins – from U.S.-dominated Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar.
Fatherland reps Pawlikowski’s first film since 2018’s Cold War which also world premiered at Cannes, notching him Best Director at the fest and ultimately three Oscar noms including Director, Foreign Language Film and Cinematography.
Deadline’s Stephanie Bunbury, in her review, calls Fatherland “peak Pawlikowski” and “a masterclass in artistic discipline.”
In his director’s statement, Pawlikowski said that Fatherland contends with the “turmoils of history, with exile and with our transcendental need for home and belonging.”
“It also brings together a dramatic historical moment with a very particular human story. But while the characters in Ida and Cold War were invented, at the centre of Fatherland, we have the historical figures of Thomas Mann and his wayward twins, Erika and Klaus, locked in a triangular family drama,” Pawlikowski said.
“Trying to fuse the personal and the historical in a poignant, mutually enhancing way, we took some liberties with historical facts and their chronology, while trying to stay faithful to the emotional and intellectual truth of the matter.”
You can watch a clip of the film below.
The film sees Pawlikowski reunite with his longtime filmmaking team that includes Lukasz Zal, Aleksandra Staszko, Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński. The Match Factory is handling international sales. Mubi holds rights in North America, Latin America, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Benelux, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, and India.
