https://arab.news/9wmd2
CANNES: France鈥檚 Catherine Deneuve has joined over 900 cinema figures who have signed an open letter denouncing alleged 鈥済enocide鈥� in Gaza and the movie industry鈥檚 failure to speak up about it, organizers said on Friday.
The petition began circulating during the buildup to the Cannes film festival and had garnered around 380 names, including 鈥淪chindler鈥檚 List鈥� star Ralph Fiennes, when the event kicked off on May 13.
An update by organizers on Friday included more than 900 names, including Deneuve, British director Danny Boyle, and Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgard.
The initiative, called 鈥淎rtists for Fatem,鈥� was sparked by the killing of Palestinian photojournalist Fatima (鈥淔atem鈥�) Hassouna, who was the subject of a documentary that premiered at Cannes week.
Hassouna, 25, was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with 10 relatives in her family home in northern Gaza last month, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.
鈥淎s artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard,鈥� the open letter says.
Other signatories include Juliette Binoche, who is chairing the jury at Cannes, Rooney Mara, Jonathan Glazer, US indie director Jim Jarmusch, 鈥淟upin鈥� star Omar Sy, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Pedro Almodovar, and
Mark Ruffalo.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is in Cannes to promote a documentary about his life, has also signed the letter, organizers said Friday.
He posed for photographers on Tuesday with a T-shirt bearing the names of killed Gaza children.
On Thursday, Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry said at least 3,613 people had been killed in the territory since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war鈥檚 overall toll to 53,762, mostly civilians.
Hamas鈥檚 October 2023 attack triggered the war.