Pedro Pascal and Juliette Binoche add their names to Cannes letter condemning 'genocide' in Gaza

Earlier this week, a group of much than 350 world actors, board and producers signed a letter published connected nan first time of the Cannes Film Festival condemning nan sidesplitting of Fatma Hassona, nan 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and protagonist of nan documentary Put Your Soul connected Your Hand and Walk.  

Hassouna was killed on pinch 10 relatives successful an Israeli aerial onslaught connected her family home in northern Gaza last month, nan time aft nan documentary was announced arsenic portion of nan ACID Cannes selection.  

The signatories included Pedro Almodóvar, Ruben Östlund, Guy Pierce, Ralph Fiennes, Melissa Barrera, Yórgos Lánthimos, Susan Sarandon, Alfonso Cuarón and David Cronenberg. They denounced genocide successful Gaza: "We cannot stay silent while genocide is taking spot in Gaza," publication nan missive initiated by respective pro-Palestinian activistic groups and published successful French newspaper Libération and US mag Variety.   

“We are ashamed of specified passivity.”

The missive besides urged cinema to usage its creation shape to “draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed” and to beryllium “present to protect oppressed voices.”   

Now, 60 much artists and celebrities person added their names to nan missive condemning nan movie manufacture for its “silence” complete nan ongoing and deadly effect of Israel’s subject run successful Gaza – including this year’s Cannes assemblage president Juliette Binoche, Pedro Pascal, Guillermo del Toro, Noémie Merlant and Omar Sy.  

Other caller signatories besides see Riz Ahmed, Tomas Alfredson, Carter Burwell, Robin Campillo, Camille Cottin, Adèle Haenel, Jim Jarmusch, Michael Moore, Alice Rohrwacher and Peter Straughan.

Read nan afloat missive below: 

Fatma Hassona was 25 years old. 

She was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. She was targeted by nan Israeli service connected 16 April 2025, nan time aft it was announced that Sepideh Farsi’s movie “Put Your Soul connected Your Hand and Walk,” successful which she was nan star, had been selected successful nan ACID conception of nan Cannes Film Festival. 

She was astir to get married. 

Ten of her relatives, including her pregnant sister, were killed by nan aforesaid Israeli strike. 

Since nan unspeakable massacres of 7 October 2023, nary overseas journalist has been authorised to participate nan Gaza Strip. The Israeli service is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists person been deliberately killed. Writers, film-makers and artists are being brutally murdered. 

At nan extremity of March, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who won an Oscar for his movie “No Other Land,” was brutally attacked by Israeli settlers and past kidnapped by nan army, earlier being released nether world pressure. The Oscar Academy’s deficiency of support for Hamdan Ballal sparked outrage among its ain members and it had to publically apologize for its inaction. 

We are ashamed of specified passivity. 

Why is it that cinema, a breeding crushed for socially committed works, seems to beryllium truthful indifferent to nan scary of reality and nan oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers? 

As artists and taste players, we cannot stay silent while genocide is taking spot successful Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard. 

What is nan constituent of our professions if not to tie lessons from history, to make films that are committed, if we are not coming to protect oppressed voices? 

Why this silence? 

The acold right, fascism, colonialism, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+, sexist, racist, islamophobic and antisemitic movements are waging their conflict connected nan battlefield of ideas, attacking publishing, cinema and universities, and that’s why we person a work to fight. 

Let’s garbage to fto our creation beryllium an accomplice to nan worst. 

Let america emergence up. 

Let america sanction reality. 

Let america collectively situation to look astatine it pinch nan precision of our delicate hearts, truthful that it tin nary longer beryllium silenced and covered up. 

Let america cull nan propaganda that perpetually colonizes our imaginations and makes america suffer our consciousness of humanity. 

For Fatma, for each those who dice successful indifference. 

Cinema has a work to transportation their messages, to bespeak our societies. 

Let’s enactment earlier it’s excessively late.

When asked astir nan unfastened missive astatine nan Cultural Council successful Brussels earlier this week, French curate of civilization Rachida Dati told Euronews: “It is their domiciled to prosecute and to person a commitment. I judge that civilization and authorities spell manus successful hand. It tin beryllium exceptional, erstwhile we are committed to imaginative state - because arsenic you know, astatine nan infinitesimal location are much and much attacks connected creativity. That's why I want to create a elder civilian servant for imaginative freedom.” 

She added: “I person taken measures to forestall these attacks connected creativity, including galore programmers and curators who nary longer want to prime films. There is much and much self-censorship erstwhile it comes to programming. And so, we person to perpetrate to this state of creation, we person to forestall obstacles to nan state of creation, and artists person a domiciled to play successful taking sides, successful mobilising successful narration to what is happening successful nan world.” 

Concluding, she shared: “Personally, I'd beryllium very amazed if nan taste and creator players weren't mobilised and committed. That's what civilization and authorities are for. It is said that euphony softens morals - civilization tin besides prevention nan world. So, I deliberation that everyone is doing their part.”