Dozens held a moment of silence at Cannes to protest the brutal murder of Palestinians on Monday by the Israeli army.
Among the demonstrators at the Palestinian Pavillion was Hollywood actor Benicio del Toro. Manal Issa, an actress from Lebanon, held up a handmade sign that read “Stop The Attack on Gaza” during the premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Using the film festival as an international platform to highlight the atrocities, Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir led a rally and addressed the crowd. “Today, we stand here in solidarity with the people who have lost their lives and loved ones,” she said. “I want everyone to hold hands and show that we have a human connection with each other and resist being dehumanised and silenced.”
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 60 were killed by Israeli gunfire or tear gas, in what the Palestinian authorities have called a massacre. Protests in Gaza initially started in retaliation to the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem. As Ivanka Trump smiled for photos, more than 2,700 were injured, over 1,000 of them shot.
“It’s really crazy to be here with the films, with the filmmakers, talking about our future plans while our kids and families are suffering from the Israeli attack on them,” said Palestinian film producer and director, May Odeh.
It is the first year that the Palestinians have their own pavilion at the Cannes festival where many countries have a presence to promote their movie industries.