Wes Anderson carried cowboys, aliens and movie stars to Cannes Film Festival earning a standing ovation at the world premiere of his new film.

Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Matt Dillon, Maya Hawke, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Norton, Jeff Goldblum and Margot Robbie are among the film’s stars, many of whom were in attendance at the Grand Palais together with the director.

The film is set in the 1950s in an American desert tourist town that was one of the landing sites of an asteroid, whose population doubles because it is the site of a convention and competition for “stargazers”.

It’s a story within a story, as the cast plays a troupe of actors and crew making a movie.

Johansson sent the Cannes crowd into a frenzy with her performance as a movie star and theater star in the film, appearing in a black wig and always with a martini in hand, reports Variety.

I am very happy that we are presenting the film for the first time. We’ve never seen her before. Thank you to our cast of amazing actors who play actors, Anderson told the audience at the Palais.