More than 350 film stars, including Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, condemned the genocide in Gaza in an open letter ahead of the Cannes Film Festival.
"We cannot remain silent," said the letter, backed by pro-Palestinian groups and published in Libération and Variety.
The signatories, including renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar and former Cannes winner Ruben Östlund, condemned the death of Gaza photojournalist Fatima Khassouna.
The 25-year-old Khazouna is the subject of a documentary film to be presented in Cannes on May 15 by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, entitled "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk."
Hasuna was killed along with 10 of her relatives in an Israeli airstrike on their family home in northern Gaza last month, a day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.
Farsi welcomed the impact of her film but called on the Cannes festival organizers to condemn Israel's ongoing bombardment of the devastated Palestinian territory.
"A real statement needs to be made. Saying that 'the festival is not political' makes no sense," she told AFP.
Initially, the organizers said that this year's Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche had signed the petition, but her spokesperson clarified that she did not support it and her name was not published by Liberation.
Other signatories include Jonathan Glazer, the British director of Jewish descent who won an Oscar for his 2023 drama "The Zone of Interest," dedicated to Auschwitz, as well as American star Mark Ruffalo and Spanish actor Javier Bardem.
The Cannes Film Festival kicks off today on the French Riviera with an opening ceremony attended by Robert De Niro and three films showing the devastation of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Two documentaries featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a third film shot on the brutal front lines of Europe's biggest war in 80 years will be screened as part of the "Day of Ukraine" program.
This is "a reminder of the commitment of artists, authors, and journalists to tell the story of this conflict in the heart of Europe," the festival said.
Nothing similar is planned for the war in Gaza, but the film about Hasuna will "honor" her memory, organizers said earlier.
Gaza directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser will also present their feature film, set in 2007 in the Palestinian territories, in one of the festival's secondary sections.
The opening film tonight is "Leave One Day" by rising French director Amélie Bonnen, after which Hollywood star De Niro will receive the honorary "Golden Palm."
De Niro is one of Donald Trump's most outspoken critics in the American film world, with the Taxi Driver star often struggling to find words harsh enough for the US president.
Trump became one of the main topics of conversation in Cannes after announcing on May 5 that he wanted a 100% tariff on films "produced in foreign countries."
The idea sent shockwaves through the film world, although few insiders or experts understand how such a policy could be implemented.
Cannes director Thierry Frémaux spoke of the festival's "rich" American program, which includes films by Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Ari Aster, and Kelly Reichardt in the main competition.
"American cinema remains great cinema. The United States remains a great country for cinema," he said.
News off-screen in France is also likely to overshadow events on the red carpet in Cannes, as French film icon Gerard Depardieu awaits sentencing in a sexual assault case in Paris.
Depardieu, who has starred in over 200 films and television series, is the most prominent figure affected by France's response to the #MeToo movement against sexual assault.
Although independent cinema is at the heart of the Cannes festival, organizers give part of the program to major Hollywood studios to promote their blockbusters.
Tom Cruise will return to the Riviera for the premiere of the latest film in the Mission: Impossible series on May 15, three years after he dazzled at the festival with the promotion of Top Gun: Maverick.
The festival will also feature a number of debut films by actors who have turned to directing, including Scarlett Johansson's Eleanor the Great and Kristen Stewart's The Chronology of Water.
The organizers denied reports that they had banned provocative dresses with almost naked bodies on the red carpet.
However, "full nudity on the red carpet" is officially banned "in accordance with French law." | BGNES