The actors Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Rice Ahmed and director Guillermo del Toro added their name to a letter condemning the silence of the film industry on what he called “genocide” in Gaza, the organizers confirmed on Friday.
The petition, signed by more than 370 actors and filmmakers, also denounced the murder of Israel of Fatima Hassouna, the young photojournalist of Gaza presented in the documentary “Put Your Soul in your hand and walks” Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival.
He briefly mentioned “the terrible massacres of October 7, 2023” before concentrating the rest of his anger in Israel and the world right.
“As cultural artists and players, we cannot remain silent while the genocide takes place in Gaza and this unspeakable news hits our communities,” he said.
“The extreme right, fascism, colonialism, anti-trans and anti-lgbtqia +, sexist, racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic movements put their battle on the battlefield of ideas, attacking publishing, cinema and universities, and that is why we have the duty to fight.
“Let’s reject propaganda that constantly colonizes our imagination and makes us lose our sense of humanity.”
The organizers of the letter said that the French actor Juliette Binoche, who chairs the jury in Cannes, also added his name to the letter, with Rooney Mara, the independent American director Jim Jarmusch and the star of “Lupine” Omar Sy.
American actress Rooney Mara arrives for the screening of the film “Eddington” during the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, in the south of France, May 16, 2025. (Valery Hache / AFP)
Binoche had first seemed to withdraw from supporting her when the festival opened on Tuesday, paying tribute to Hassouna, who was killed with 10 family members the day after her learning, the film would be screened in Cannes.
According to Israeli defense forces, the strike has targeted a Hamas agent involved in attacks on soldiers and civilians.
“She should have been here this evening with us,” said an emotional binoche during the opening ceremony.
The growing demonstration comes after several days of setting blood in the Palestinian territory, Hamas authorities claiming that 120 people were killed on Thursday and at least 50 on Friday. The figures cannot be confirmed independently and do not make the difference between civilians and combatants.
The French actress and president of the jury of the 78th Cannes Festival, Juliette Binoche arrives on stage during the opening ceremony in Cannes, in the south of France, May 13, 2025. (Sameer al-Doumy / AFP)
The star of “Schindler’s List”, Ralph Fiennes, as well as Richard Gere, Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and the directors David Cronenberg, Pedro Almodovar, Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Leigh said they were “ash” about the failure of their industry to talk about Gaza in the original letter.
In his Cannes speech on Tuesday, Binoche also referred to the Israeli hostages taken by the Palestinian group Hamas in its October 7, 2023, assault against Israel, which sparked the Gaza war.
Michael Moore, the director of “Sicko” and “Bowling for Columbine”, and the French actor Camille Cottin of renown “Call My Agent” are among the other personalities in the entertainment industry who have added their name to the letter since Tuesday.
