A group of high-profile actors and filmmakers from around the world have signed an open letter condemning the international silence over what they describe as the ongoing “genocide” in Gaza.
The letter — supported by more than 370 actors, directors, and artists — includes names such as Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Riz Ahmed, Guillermo del Toro, and Juliette Binoche, the organisers confirmed on Friday.
It also denounces the killing of Fatima Hassouna, a young Gazan photojournalist and the central figure in the documentary Put Your Soul in Your Palm and Walk, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
French actress Juliette Binoche, who serves as this year’s jury president at Cannes, added her name to the letter, alongside Rooney Mara, acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch, and Lupin star Omar Sy, according to the statement.
Initially, it appeared Binoche had backed away from openly supporting the letter when the festival opened on Tuesday. Instead, she delivered a tribute to Fatima Hassouna — who was killed, along with ten members of her family, a day after learning her film would be shown at Cannes.
In her opening speech at the 78th edition of the Cannes Festival, Binoche said with emotion:
“Fatima should have been with us tonight.”
Shame on Silence
The artists’ statement comes amid intensifying violence and mounting casualties in the besieged Palestinian territory, which has been under brutal siege and bombardment since October 7, 2023.
Renowned actors including Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List), Richard Gere, Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem, and directors such as David Cronenberg, Pedro Almodóvar, Alfonso Cuarón, and Mike Leigh, all declared they feel “ashamed” of the global artistic community’s failure to speak up against Israel’s siege on Gaza.
In her remarks during the festival, Binoche called attention to the suffering of “the hostages of October 7, all captives, the drowned, those living through terror, and those dying in heartbreaking abandonment.”
Other notable signatories of the letter include Michael Moore, the American filmmaker known for his political documentaries, and French actress Camille Cottin.
This collective act of conscience by major figures in the film industry marks a rare moment of solidarity with the Palestinian cause — a cause long neglected, or worse, demonised, in Western media and Hollywood circles. The letter is being hailed as a cultural turning point in holding Israel accountable for its actions and amplifying Palestinian voices in global spaces.
