Juliette Binoche avoids question about Gaza at Cannes Film Festival opening

Yesterday, almost 400 prominent figures signed an open letter condemning silence in the film industry regarding Israel’s violent military action in Gaza ahead of the Cannes Film Festival. Titled “In Cannes, the horror Gaza must not be silenced,” the letter reads, in part (via Deadline), “Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, filmmakers and artists are being brutally murdered.” The letter also highlights No Other Land director Hamdan Ballal’s kidnapping in May. Ruben Östlund, Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, and Richard Gere were among the letter’s signatories. 

One prominent person who did not sign the letter was this year’s Cannes Jury President and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche. Binoche was asked about her decision at the festival’s opening press conference today by Al Jazeera English. She answered, in the sense that she responded orally when a question was posed to her. But in a realer sense, she didn’t answer, literally saying, “I cannot answer you.” She added, per Deadline, “You will maybe understand it a little later.” Hopefully one of the journalists at Cannes follows up with her on that! 

You can check out the full letter below. 

For Fatem

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Fatma Hassona (Fatem) was 25 years old. 

She was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. She was targeted by the Israeli army on 16 April 2025, the day after it was announced that Sepideh Farsi’s film PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK, in which she was the star, had been selected in the ACID section of the Cannes Film Festival. 

She was about to get married.

Ten of her relatives, including her pregnant sister, were killed by the same Israeli strike.
 

Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, film-makers and artists are being brutally murdered.

At the end of March, Palestinian film-maker Hamdan Ballal, who won an Oscar for his film NO OTHER LAND, co directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra and Rachel Szor, was brutally attacked by Israeli settlers and then kidnapped by the army, before being released under international pressure. The Oscar Academy’s lack of support for Hamdan Ballal sparked outrage among its own members and it had to publicly apologise for its inaction. 

We are ashamed of such passivity. 

Why is it that cinema, a breeding ground for socially committed works, seems to be so indifferent to the horror of reality and the oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers?

As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard.

What is the point of our professions if not to draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed, if we are not present to protect oppressed voices?

Why this silence? 

The far right, fascism, colonialism, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+, sexist, racist, islamophobic and anti-Semitic movements are waging their battle on the battlefield of ideas, attacking publishing, cinema and universities, and that’s why we have a duty to fight. 

Let’s refuse to let our art be an accomplice to the worst. 

Let us rise up. 

Let us name reality.

Let us collectively dare to look at it with the precision of our sensitive hearts, so that it can no longer be silenced and covered up. 

Let us reject the propaganda that constantly colonises our imaginations and makes us lose our sense of humanity.

For Fatem, for all those who die in indifference. 

Cinema has a duty to carry their messages, to reflect our societies. 

Let’s act before it’s too late.