On May 16, 2024, the 77th Cannes Film Festival began with a statement published in Libération that was signed by almost 380 global artists, which condemned the “ongoing genocide in Gaza.” The statement also described the silence of the different cultural communities as “unbearable.”
The statement was signed by Richard Gere, Leïla Bekhti, Javier Bardem, Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg, and Ruben Östlund. “We cannot be silent as genocide is being conducted in Gaza,” read the statement, calling on artists to fulfil their moral responsibility to stand up to injustice.
