Amanda Seyfried Cries as “The Testament of Ann Lee” Gets 15-Minute Standing Ovation at Venice Film Festival
Amanda Seyfried was moved to tears at the Venice Film Festival after her latest film, The Testament of Ann Lee, earned a massive 15-minute standing ovation — the longest of the festival so far, even topping Frankenstein.
Directed by Mona Fastvold and co-written with Brady Corbet, the movie left the audience buzzing with emotion.
As the applause roared on, Seyfried pumped her fists in the air, visibly overwhelmed by the response. At one point, she whispered to no one in particular, “What are we supposed to be doing now?” Corbet worked the crowd while Fastvold, known for co-writing last year’s Silver Lion winner The Brutalist, beamed with joy.
By the tenth minute, some orchestra-level attendees began filing out, but the balcony crowd — including producers and potential buyers — kept clapping until the energy finally faded. Leaving the theater, Seyfried quipped to Variety, “I think people quite liked it.”
The film casts Seyfried as Ann Lee, a pioneering 18th-century religious leader who founded the Shaker movement. Lewis Pullman plays her brother, William Lee, alongside a strong supporting cast featuring Thomasin McKenzie, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott, and Matthew Beard. Billed as an “epic fable,” the film reimagines Lee’s life and explores the Shakers’ unique way of living. The group, who immigrated from England and settled in New York, were known for their communal lifestyle, celibacy, and ecstatic worship rituals.
Once thriving, the Shaker community has dwindled to just three living members today.
Though not a musical, The Testament of Ann Lee does feature musical elements, including Seyfried singing. But it wasn’t traditional singing — Seyfried described it as more experimental, joking that it was “anti-singing” or “animal sounds” rather than melodic performance.
The music was crafted by Daniel Blumberg, the Oscar-winning composer of The Brutalist.
With its bold storytelling, unconventional use of sound, and Seyfried’s emotional performance, the film clearly struck a chord in Venice.
The extraordinary reaction suggests The Testament of Ann Lee may emerge as one of the festival’s most talked-about entries — and possibly one of Seyfried’s most powerful roles to date.
