“They are killing the Palestinian civilian population. They are killing boys and girls. They are killing journalists and humanitarian workers. They are using starvation as a weapon. They are preventing and hindering access to humanitarian aid. They are forcing the mass displacement of the Palestinian population,” the letter continues. “They are razing buildings to the ground. They are bombing hospitals too. They humiliate, conquer, squash. They are destroying Gaza. They scorn international legality. So much atrocity, so much terror is unbearable. We are beside ourselves with anger and pain at such injustice.”
Film festivals have often been the site of political action and activism in general, but particularly in the last two years regarding the October 7 terrorist attack and Israel’s reaction to it. Those actions range from protests regarding the content of certain programming to statements made by organizers and artists. Honored with a career achievement award at San Sebastian last year, Javier Bardem used his acceptance speech to voice robust support for Palestine. “What is happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable, it is terrible, it is dehumanizing,” he said. “I believe that this Israeli government is the most radical government that Israel has ever had.”
For the San Sebastian Film Festival to make a statement as an institution is an unusual move, and a first for a major film festival. In their letter, the festival’s management committee cited “an obligation today to condemn the systematic and programmed violation of human rights, the genocide being meted out by the Government of Netanyahu.” This obligation was prompted by learning “From the world of film, from culture in general … the lessons of the horrors of the 20th century that the knowledge of history has left us in order that they never again” occur. The letter concludes, “While it may seem naïve, we demand an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages held by Hamas and wish the peoples of Israel and Palestine a future coexistence in peace.”
The San Sebastian Film Festival begins September 19; J.A. Bayona will serve as jury president alongside jurors Laura Carreira, Gia Coppola, Zhou Dongyu, Mark Strong, and Anne-Dominique Toussaint. You can read the full open letter here.
