Rami Malek was visibly moved at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
The 45-year-old American actor, who made his name with the portrayal of Queen singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biographical film bohemian rhapsody, received a nearly nine-minute standing ovation for his film The man I love at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20.
As he received the applause and standing ovation after the screening, Malek was clearly overcome with emotion. He attended the premiere with his co-stars Luther Ford and Tom Sturridge.
Directed by Ira Sachs and set in late 1980s New York City, the film stars Malek as Jimmy George, an actor battling AIDS, a life-threatening disease, who may end up in his last major role.
Chatting with reporters the next day at the amfAR Gala at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, The amateur star shared his feelings saying, “It was extraordinary, if it’s just once in a lifetime I’ll take it.”
“Just being here is once in a lifetime; if it happens again, great. I feel humbled, I feel honored, I feel very human. I’m grateful,” said Malek.
After the screening, Sachs expressed his gratitude to the festival for appreciating The Man I Love, its cast and crew, saying, “This is a film about what we can bring to each other through art, through love, through pain, through memory.”
The Delta director added: “I hope we will share some memories of this evening for the festival and our love for cinema. And this is the place where we can do that together.”
“None of us will be here forever, so to speak. But there are certain moments that we will remember. And I’ve tried with this film and this incredible cast to fill this film with things that I want to remember. So this evening now adds to that,” Sachs concluded.
