There was a particularly awkward silence at the Cannes Film Festival‘s first press conference on Tuesday when the entire jury, led by French star and jury president Juliette Binoche, declined to answer a journalist’s question on the fest’s passivity in regard to the war in Gaza.
When Binoche was asked about the open letter penned by over 350 filmmakers and industry members — including Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Javier Bardem — condemning Cannes for its lack of support, she baffled with her response on why she was not a signatory: “You will maybe understand it a little later.” She refused to say any more, and thankfully, French Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani intervened. But on Friday, the news came via Variety that Binoche had added her name to the letter alongside Eddington stars Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, among others.
The letter refers to the Middle East conflict that has so far killed over 50,000 Gazans, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Decades-spanning tensions escalated when the Hamas militant group launched an armed incursion on an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, claiming the lives of nearly 1,200 people.
It may be that the fest has, in official terms, decided to stay quiet on the matter. But that hasn’t stopped the Marché du Film welcoming the Palestine Film Institute (PFI) at the international village on the other side of the Palais. Public programmer Mohanad Yaqubi tells The Hollywood Reporter that the hub is not a celebratory affair.
“We’re not celebrating being in Cannes,” he begins. “There’s nothing to celebrate for us… it’s really, how can we orient the narrative surrounding Palestinian cinema, Palestinian stories through the filmmakers themselves? We feel the responsibility, and it’s very hard,” he continues. “Some of our members actually have families in Gaza now, and they are here in Cannes. It’s uncomfortable, but this is not an industry only for rich people. We have to make that industry accommodate us and accommodate our needs of an oppressed and underrepresented [group].”
The Pavilion Program in Cannes this year is the organization’s “most ambitious to date” following its first in 2018. Under the banner #HereThereAndForever, the program spans showcases, screenings, producer talks and meet and greets. These include a spotlight session on Palestinian producers and a reception with Arab and Tarzan Nasser, filmmakers behind the Un Certain Regard picture Once Upon a Time in Gaza.
As well as this, the PFI have a screening and reception on From Ground Zero, an initiative for Gaza films launched by filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. The final product is an anthology film consisting of eight short documentaries and two feature-length movies from 22 Palestinian directors about life under air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
The crowning jewel of the PFI’s presence in Cannes this year is the official launch — alongside founding partners the IDFA Bertha Fund, International Media Support and Arab Fund for Arts and Culture — of the PFI Film Fund. “This is one of our dream projects,” says Yaqubi. “Basically, the aim for the first three rounds is to fund or support four to six projects in different formats, at least, to give them a base so that they can start working.”
The team also has an exhibition at the pavilion, Yaqubi adds, by Fatma Hassouna, a Palestinian photojournalist and artist. A protagonist in Sepideh Farsi’s Cannes-premiering documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, Hassouna was killed in April by a direct Israeli military strike on her family home in Gaza City.
“There is a big separation between the [Cannes] institute and the people,” Yaqubi responds when asked how supported they feel by the festival. “We recognize these differences, the institute — the board members — [are] following a general geopolitical French position… The people working here are very empathetic and live in solidarity.” He continues: “Obviously, we wouldn’t be here without all of the solidarity we get from the festival, and it’s important to note that this is not something that has happened only from the last war. We’ve been working together since 2016.”
The PFI is mainly funded through donations. And while the projects they’ve come to showcase at the Marché are not solely dedicated to the Palestinian cause, they are intricately intwined with the wider political and social ramifications of putting Palestinian voices on a major international stage in film.
“We have a delegation of four producers who are participating at a producers’ network. They also have a very interesting slate. I encourage everyone to look at their slate,” Yaqubi says. “These are the upcoming Palestinian films and narratives that need to be supported.”
“We hope to be here every year. The presence is important, and to stay away won’t make a change. We have to dip our toes in the cold water and change things.”