Pedro Almodvar sounds off on refusing Saudi money, the apolitical Oscars and more

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Pedro Almodóvar didn’t know the finer points of film festival standing ovations when he first showed a movie in competition at Cannes in 1999.As the credits began to roll for his acclaimed melodrama “All About My Mother,” the audience inside the Grand Théâtre Lumière rose and applauded.

The acclamation continued to build, and the Spanish auteur was overcome with gratitude — for a few moments.But after about five minutes of cheering and clapping, Almodóvar didn’t know what to do.

He’s not a filmmaker given to false modesty, but how long can you bask in that kind of adoration? You can only smile and wave and clasp your hands for so long.Finally, he motioned the audience to stop, like, “OK.

OK.Enough.

Let’s go have dinner and a drink.”“Big mistake,” Almodóvar tells me, laughing.“[Actor] Marisa Paredes leaned over and told me, ‘Never stop an ovation!’ I didn’t have the experience and didn’t know the number of minutes of an ovation is very important and counted.

For me, five minutes was more than enough.It’s humbling.”Almodóvar will be bringing his new movie, “Bitter Christmas,” to Cannes this year, his seventh competition appearance, a remarkable run that includes masterworks like “Volver,” “Broken Embraces” and “Pain and Glory.” Another film, the dark, audacious drama “Bad Education,” opened the festival in 2004, earning so much acclaim (and, yes, another long ovation) that Quentin Tarantino, serving as jury president that year, told Almodóvar, “Why are you not in competition? This is a f— masterpiece! I would give you the award!”As it stands, Almodóvar’s films have a celebrated history at Cannes.

“All About My Mother” earned him an honor for directing; “Volver” won screenplay and a collective actress prize for its cast in 2006; and frequent collaborator Antonio Banderas won for his lead turn in 2...