Cannes Festival opens amid discordant notes; film fraternity demands firm stance against genocide in Palestine

Cannes (France): The Cannes Film Festival kicks off on the French Riviera on Tuesday, with organisers under pressure to take a stance on Israel's siege of Gaza, following a letter from hundreds of prominent cinema figures denouncing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory.

More than 380 film industry insiders, including Schindler's List actor Ralph Fiennes and four former Cannes-winning directors, said they were "ashamed" of their industry's "passivity".

"We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza," read the letter, initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Libération and US magazine Variety.

The signatories — which include Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, as well as acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar and former Cannes winners Ruben Östlund, Mike Leigh and Costa-Gavras — also condemned the death of Gazan photojournalist Fatima Hassouna.

Hassouna, 25, is the subject of a documentary that will premiere in Cannes on Thursday, directed by exiled Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi. The film is titled Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk.

Hassouna was killed, along with ten relatives, in an Israeli air strike on her family home in northern Gaza last month, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.

Farsi has called on Cannes Festival organisers to denounce Israel's ongoing bombardment and siege of the Palestinian territory. "There needs to be a real statement," she told AFP.

This year’s Cannes jury president, Juliette Binoche, was initially reported by organisers to have signed the petition, though her name was not on the final published list. Speaking to reporters, she said, "you'll maybe understand it a little later", suggesting that she or the festival might make some kind of statement at the opening ceremony.

Other notable signatories of the Gaza petition include Jonathan Glazer, the British director of Jewish origin who won an Oscar for his 2023 Auschwitz drama The Zone of Interest, as well as US actor Mark Ruffalo and Spanish star Javier Bardem.

Other off-screen developments in France also risked overshadowing the opening ceremony on Tuesday, which will see Robert De Niro receive an honorary Palme d'Or from fellow actor and occasional co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

The opening film on Tuesday is the musical drama Leave One Day by newcomer French director Amélie Bonnin, who becomes the first debut director to be granted the prestigious opening slot.

New red carpet rules — prohibiting "total nudity" and limiting the length of trains on dresses — are also coming into force. Oscar-winning Hollywood star Halle Berry, a member of the nine-person jury judging the main competition this year, said she had been affected by the train restrictions and had to change outfits.

"The nudity part is probably also a good rule," she told reporters.

While independent cinema remains the core of the Cannes Festival, organisers have, as usual, included several major Hollywood blockbusters in the programme.

Tom Cruise is set to return to the Riviera on Wednesday for the premiere of the latest instalment of his Mission: Impossible franchise, three years after attending the festival for Top Gun: Maverick.

Films by directors Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Ari Aster and Kelly Reichardt are among those competing for the top Palme d'Or award in the main competition.