Bono was on hand at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night for the world premiere of his new Apple documentary, “Bono: Stories of Surrender,” where the U2 frontman received a 7-minute standing ovation following the screening.
Bono grew emotional during the minutes-long ovation. As the applause began to wane, he opened his speech with a few words and a promise to speak fluent French next year.
“I’m not a Frenchman. I’m an Irishman. I’m not even a self-made man,” Bono told the crowd. “You wrote this story. The Edge wrote this story. Adam [Clayton] and Larry [Mullen Jr.] wrote this story. [Paul] McGuinness wrote this story.”
At one point, Bono saluted actor and director Sean Penn, who was in the audience, and said, “If I was in the trenches, like real trenches, as opposed to ones on a movie set, I’d want to be with Sean Penn in those trenches. He was there for me. Thank you again.”
The Andrew Dominik-directed film documents the U2 frontman’s one-man show of the same name, which is based on his celebrated memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” and its accompanying tour. According to its logline, the doc “pulls back the curtain on a remarkable life and the family, friends and faith that have challenged and sustained him, revealing personal stories about his journey as a son, father, husband, activist and rockstar. Along with never-before-seen, exclusive footage from the Beacon Theatre shows, the film features Bono performing many of the iconic U2 songs that have shaped his life and legacy.”
Bono is no stranger to Cannes, having owned a residence in the south of France since the ’90s. U2 also premiered the band’s concert film, “U2 3D,” during a midnight screening at the festival in 2007, before which they gave an iconic performance on the steps of the Palais.
“Bono: Stories of Surrender” hails from RadicalMedia and Plan B Entertainment, with RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick producing alongside Plan B’s Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Bono also executive produces with Jennifer Pitcher and Kelly McNamara.
Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick (“Summer of Soul,” “Hamilton,” “David Byrne’s American Utopia”) produce alongside Academy Award-winning Plan B Entertainment’s Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (upcoming “F1,” “Moonlight,” “12 Years a Slave”). Bono executive produces with Jennifer Pitcher (“Kiss The Future”) and Kelly McNamara (“V-U2 an Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas”).
“Bono: Stories of Surrender” will premiere on Apple TV+ on May 30.
