Angelina Jolie is brought to tears as she receives eight-minute standing ovation at the premiere of her biopic Maria during Venice Film Festival

Angelina Jolie was moved to tears as she received an eight-minute standing ovation at the premiere of her biopic Maria at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on Thursday.

The 49-year-old Changeling star looked visibly emotional and was filmed wiping away tears after the audience at Sala Grande stood up to applaud her.

In another touching move, the actress, who plays legendary opera singer Maria Callas in the film, briefly covered her mouth with her hand.

She was photographed being escorted down the stairs by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, 48, as the audience continued to applaud her.

Jolie spoke about the project at a press conference Thursday afternoon before the screening, saying she spent about seven months preparing for the demanding role.

She worked with opera singers and coaches to master proper posture, breathing and movement techniques.

She added that immersing herself in the world of opera provided her with “therapy I didn’t know I needed.”

“I had no idea how much I was holding back and not letting go. So the challenge wasn’t the technique, it was an emotional experience of finding my voice, of being in my body, of expressing myself. You have to give every piece of yourself.”

She also said that the part of Callas she could most relate to was “the part of her that is extremely soft and has no room in the world to be as soft as she really was — as emotionally open as she really was. I share her vulnerability more than anything.”

Before entering Sala Grande, she had another touching moment when she met a bedridden fan with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The actress knelt down and spoke to her supporter, placing her hand sweetly on his shoulder.

The star, who is currently struggling with a lengthy divorce from Brad Pitt, made a welcome appearance on the red carpet ahead of the film’s first official screening, in competition, at the annual ceremony.

Jolie looked stunning in an elegant, off-the-shoulder, floor-length evening gown as she greeted photographers on the second day of this year’s festival.

The stunning stone chiffon gown, designed exclusively for the actress by designer and couture house Tamara Ralph, featured draped details and a short train. The ensemble was finished off with an elegant, fluffy faux fur stole and a gold flower pin.

The star’s latest film is a biographical drama about opera singer Maria. Angelina plays the title role, Valeria Golino is her sister Yakinthi and Haluk Bilginer is Aristotle Onassis.

“I take the responsibility for Maria’s life and legacy very seriously,” Angelina said in a statement earlier. “I will do everything in my power to rise to the challenge.”

The Tomb Raider star also mentioned the film’s director, Pablo, who she said she had “long admired.”

The mother of six added: “It’s a dream to have the chance to tell Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight.”

Angelina had never sung on screen – or in public – before signing on to play the legendary opera singer.

“Everyone here knows I was terribly nervous,” the Oscar winner told reporters at a news conference.

“I trained for almost seven months, because when you work with Pablo, you can’t do anything halfway. He demands, in the most wonderful way, that you really do the work and really learn and train.”

Angelina enlisted the help of vocal coach Eric Vetro, whose clients include Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, John Legend, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Rosalía and Charlie Puth.

“The first time I sang, I remember being so nervous. My sons were there and they were helping me lock the door so no one else would come in, and I was shaking. I was scared,” described Jolie — mother to Maddox, 23; Pax, 20; and Knox, 16.

‘Pablo, in his decency, started me in a small room and ended me in [the Paris opera house] La Scala. So he gave me time to grow.’

The former Hollywood tomboy – who grew up with The Clash – said her biggest “fear” would be “letting down” Maria’s loyal fans: “I’ve really grown to care about her so I didn’t want to do this woman a disservice.”

Although the film is largely set in the 1970s, Angelina appears to recreate Callas’ (born Kalogeropoulos) 1958 performance at a gala in Paris, which was broadcast over the Eurovision Song Contest.

The powerful soprano voice of the New York-born Greek singer had three distinct registers and a range of just under three octaves. She gave her last concert in 1965, after suffering from a loss of voice that was attributed to everything from dermatomyositis and premature menopause to her dramatic weight loss of 80 pounds in 1954.

Maria, who had an affair with Aristotle Onassis while he was married to former FLOTUS Jacqueline Kennedy, lived the last 11 years of her life in Paris after renouncing her American citizenship. She died of a heart attack in 1977 at the age of 53.

Angelina is lucky enough to wear some of Callas’ real clothes in the film, including vintage fur garments from Massimo Cantini Parrini’s archive collection.

The film tells her life story and ends with her sad death in Paris, after suffering from vision problems that nearly left her blind.

The director, best known for the biopics Jackie (about Jackie Kennedy, played by Natalie Portman) and Spencer (about Princess Diana, played by Kristen Stewart), said: “To have the opportunity to combine my two deepest and most personal passions, film and opera, is a long-awaited dream.”

“To do this with Angelina, an extraordinarily brave and curious artist, is a fascinating opportunity. A true gift.”

Maria was written by Steven Knight before the WGA strike in Hollywood and was given an interim deal by SAG-AFTRA.

The actress has played famous people before: in 1998 she played the tragic supermodel Gia Carangi in Gia and in 2007 she played the role of Mariana Pearl in the film A Mighty Heart.