Gaza in the heart of Cannes: a rain of stars denounces a genocide passed over in silence

On the eve of the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, a cry of revolt rises from the world of cinema. More than 380 artists, filmmakers and actors – among them Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, David Cronenberg, Javier Bardem or Pedro Almodóvar – signed a poignant letter published simultaneously in Release And Varietythe American reference of cinema, to denounce indifference in the face of the drama that ravages Gaza.

Entitled “”In Cannes, the horror of Gaza should not be silent »»the letter pays homage to Fatima Hassouna, a young Palestinian photojournalist killed by an Israeli strike in April, one day after the selection of the selection at the festival of a documentary retracing her life. Ten members of his family, including his pregnant sister, died in the same bombardment.

“We, artists and actors of culture, we cannot remain silent. They denounce the deliberate targeting of civilians, the death of more than 200 journalists, the absence of foreign media in the enclave since October 2023, and the blockade which has strengthened the 2.4 million inhabitants of Gaza. The text was supported by powerful voices of committed cinema: Leïla Bekhti, Costa-Gavras, Alice Diop, Xavier Dolan, Nadav Lapid, Mark Ruffalo, among others. He also returns to the case of director Hamdan Ballal, briefly kidnapped by the Israeli army in March, and which the Oscar Academy was slow to defend, before presenting public excuses under pressure.