Bradley Cooper’s new film Maestro about legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on 3 September and was met with a seven-minute standing ovation.

It’s the second film Cooper has directed, following A Star Is Born – which premiered in Venice in 2018 – in which he starred opposite Lady Gaga.

Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper in Maestro. Photo © Netflix

In Maestro, Cooper takes on the role of Bernstein, starring opposite Carey Mulligan, who plays Bernstein’s wife, Costa Rican actor and activist Felicia Montealegre Cohn.

Neither Cooper nor Mulligan were able to attend the Venice world premiere screening due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. However, Bernstein’s three children – Jamie Bernstein, Alexander Bernstein and Nina Marie Felicia Bernstein – were present and were clearly moved by the film, waving to the audience through tears at the end, then dancing and celebrating as the credits rolled.