Day 3
What the critics say
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Cannes Day 3: Jury President Juliette Binoche Calls Out Hollywood’s ‘Silence’ on GazaThe third day of Cannes was noticeably sleepier, but what could compete with Tom Cruise and the cast and crew of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning storming the Croisette? On the first day of the Cannes Film Festival, a letter was published condemning the silence of the Hollywood film industry over Israel’s military action in Gaza. Now, more A-listers have added their names to the list, including Joaquin Phoenix (whose Eddington premieres at the festival Friday), jury president Juliette Binoche, Riz Ahmed, Jim Jarmusch, Michael Moore and Guillermo del Toro, whose long-awaited take on Frankenstein opens later this year. What spurred the letter, specifically, was the death of Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, whose life is the subject of a Cannes-bound documentary “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk.” The Sepideh Farsi-directed film, which is playing as part of the festival’s ACID section, was killed by Israeli forces the day after the Cannes selection was announced.
The letter also notes Oscar-winning “No Other Land” filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who was attacked in March and taken into custody by Israeli soldiers. After public outcry, he was released. The Academy released an apology after it was criticized for not speaking out when he was first captured. Original signatories earlier this week included Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Susan Sarandon, Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce, Brian Cox, Pedro Almodóvar, Melissa Barrera and David Cronenberg. Rooney Mara, Omar Sy, “Conclave” writer Peter Straughan, Boots Riley and others. Oftentimes, the Cannes Film Festival directly reflects – and sometimes intersects – with real-life politics. And this call for increased visibility certainly reflects that. There are actually, you know, movies being screened at Cannes too! |
