Overview

• An open letter signed by nearly 400 filmmakers, including Ralph Fiennes, Mark Ruffalo, and Pedro Almodóvar, condemns Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide.
• The letter highlights the killing of Palestinian journalist Fatma Hassouna and the attack and kidnapping of filmmaker Hamdan Ballal as emblematic of the crisis.
• Jury President Juliette Binoche avoided addressing the letter directly at Cannes' opening, stating, 'You will maybe understand it a little later.'
• The letter, published in Libération and Variety, criticizes the film industry's silence and calls for Cannes to denounce the ongoing siege of Gaza.
• Director Sepideh Farsi, whose documentary on Hassouna premieres at Cannes, urged organizers to issue a 'real statement' condemning the violence.