More Hollywood stars join protest letter over Gaza ‘genocide’
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The organisers of the letter said the French actor Juliette Binoche, who is chairing the jury at Cannes, also added her name to the letter.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CANNES, France – Hollywood heavyweights Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Riz Ahmed and Guillermo del Toro have added their names to a letter condemning the film industry’s silence on what it called “genocide” in Gaza, the organisers confirmed on May 16.
The petition, signed by more than 370 actors and filmmakers, also denounced Israel’s killing
The organisers of the letter said French actor Juliette Binoche, who is chairing the jury at Cannes, also added her name to the letter, along with Rooney Mara, US indie director Jim Jarmusch and Lupin star Omar Sy.
Binoche initially seemed to pull back from supporting it as the festival opened on May 13, instead delivering a tribute to Ms Hassouna, who was killed with 10 members of her family the day after she learnt the film would be shown at Cannes.
“She should have been here tonight with us,” an emotional Binoche said at the opening ceremony.
The growing protest comes after several days of mounting bloodshed in the besieged Palestinian territory, with 120 people killed on May 15 and 50 reported dead since midnight.
Schindler’s List star Ralph Fiennes as well as Richard Gere, Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Susan Sarandon and Javier Bardem, and directors David Cronenberg, Pedro Almodovar, Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Leigh said they were “ashamed” of their industry’s failure to speak out about Israel’s siege of Gaza in the original letter.
In her Cannes speech, Binoche also referenced the Israeli hostages taken by Palestinian group Hamas in its Oct 7, 2023, assault on Israel
Sicko and Bowling For Columbine director Michael Moore and French actor Camille Cottin of Call My Agent fame are among other entertainment industry figures who have added their names to the letter since May 13. AFP
