The Sci-Fi epic Dune has debuted at the Venice Film Festival, and according to those inside the screening it ended with a standing ovation lasting six minutes. That's the longest round of applause at this year's festival.

The long-awaited film from French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve is based on a novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, and stars Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya alongside the likes of Javier Bardem and Oscar Isaac.

Ramsey Setoodeh, of Variety, shared a video of the director and lead actor embracing during the record applause.

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Dune has been highly anticipated, partly due to the stellar cast and crew linked to the production, but also because several previous attempts to capture the novel on screen have flopped. 

The critical reaction has not yet been as unanimous as the long round of applause at Venice, but after 18 months of stagnation the film industry will be hoping audiences will be enticed back to cinemas by Dune's promise of otherworldly adventure.