Latest news with #PutYourSoulOnYourHandAndWalk
France 24
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
UN expert calls for end of Gaza blockade in Cannes
"They must lift the blockade," the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories said. The Israeli defence ministry said 107 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Thursday, whereas the United Nations used to bring in 500 to 600 lorry-loads per day on average during a six-week ceasefire that broke down in March. But Albanese said even that amount would not be enough, after UN agencies warned a two-month siege had left its population of more than two million people on the brink of famine. "Even if we return now to the 500 trucks per day... it wouldn't be sufficient because there are no stocks and the people in Gaza have nothing," she told AFP on the sidelines of the festival. "Israel needs to get out of Gaza," she added. The Gaza war has cast a shadow over the festival on the French Riviera, especially after the killing last month of the main character of a film that premiered in one of its parallel sections. An Israeli strike on April 16 killed Fatima "Fatem" Hassouna, a 25-year-old photojournalist, just weeks before exiled Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi screened "Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk". Israel has claimed it was targeting Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says Hassouna is one of more than 200 journalists killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 2023. 'Truth tellers' Albanese said the Cannes film festival felt like a "bubble of indifference" but she said she decided to join a press conference organised by Farsi to honour Palestinian journalists. With Israel banning international media from entering Gaza, "they are the truth tellers, they are the ones who have been telling the genocide from within", Albanese said. Amnesty International last month said Israel was carrying out a "live-streamed genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza, claims Israel dismissed as "blatant lies". Hassouna's death has galvanised members of the cinema industry, with France's Catherine Deneuve on Friday joining over 900 actors and filmmakers in signing an open letter denouncing "genocide" in Gaza, organisers told AFP. The petition began circulating during the buildup to the festival and had garnered around 380 names including "Schindler's List" star Ralph Fiennes when the event kicked off on May 13. An update issued by organisers Friday included more than 900 names, including Deneuve and British director Danny Boyle. "As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza," the open letter says. Other signatories include Juliette Binoche, who is chairing the jury for the festival's Palme d'Or top prize, US indie director Jim Jarmusch, "Lupin" star Omar Sy, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is in Cannes to promote a documentary about his life, has also signed the letter, organisers said Friday. He posed for photographers on Tuesday with a T-shirt bearing the names of killed Gaza children. On Friday, Gaza's health ministry said at least 3,673 people had been killed in the territory since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,822, mostly civilians. Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
CairoScene
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Review: Gaza Doc ‘Put Your Soul On Your Hand & Walk' Shook Cannes
Through Farsi's lens, we are left with more than just a memory of Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona. Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk – The Film That Shook Cannes One of the most talked-about films at this year's Cannes Film Festival is Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, a documentary by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi. Just two days after it was announced in the ACID (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) line-up, I received an email from the programming filmmakers addressed to critics and journalists. Here are some excerpts from the letter: 'We, filmmakers and members of the ACID team, met Fatma Hassona when we discovered Sepideh Farsi's film Put your soul on your hand and walk during the Cannes programme. Her smile was as magical as her tenacity: bearing witness, photographing Gaza, distributing food despite the bombs, mourning and hunger. We heard her story, we rejoiced at each of her appearances to see her alive, we feared for her. Yesterday, we were shocked to learn that an Israeli missile had targeted her building, killing Fatma and her family. We had watched and programmed a film in which this young woman's life force seemed like a miracle. This is no longer the same film that we are going to support and present in all theaters, starting with Cannes. All of us, filmmakers and spectators alike, must be worthy of her light.' Farsi included some words of her own. She shared her personal reaction to the news: 'When I heard the news yesterday, I first refused to believe it, thinking it was a mistake, like the one a few months ago when a family with the same surname had perished in an Israeli attack. Incredulous, I called her then sent her a message, and then another one, and another one. All those bright existences were crushed by a finger that pressed on a button and dropped a bomb to erase one more house in Gaza.' Shortly afterward, filmmaker Ken Loach, a two-time Palme d'Or winner, responded with his own letter, honoring Fatma Hassona: 'Young Fatima clearly foresaw her own murder, and said 'I want a loud death'.' He then ended with a powerful call to action: 'On 15th May, the day of the screening, can we honour this courageous young woman, and her fellow Palestinian journalists, (no foreign journalist has been allowed into Gaza) who gave their lives to bear witness to mass murder. Can we all make her death as loud as possible, and insist that States carry out their duties under the Genocide Convention?' A wave of support followed. On the first day of the Cannes Film Festival, a third letter was released, denouncing the silence of Hollywood over Israel's military actions in Gaza. The statement quickly gathered over 400 celebrity signatures. Among the signatories were Joaquin Phoenix, Guillermo del Toro, and Pedro Pascal, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Susan Sarandon, Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce, Brian Cox, Pedro Almodóvar, Melissa Barrera, David Cronenberg, and others. Additional names such as Rooney Mara, Omar Sy, Peter Straughan, Boots Riley, Alice Rohrwacher, Arian Moayed, Odessa Rae, Adèle Haenel, and Noémie Merlant were added later. When asked why she hadn't signed, Cannes Jury President Juliette Binoche told a reporter, 'I cannot answer you,' before adding, 'You will maybe understand it a little later.' The cryptic response led to speculation that she had been pressured not to sign. A day later, Binoche added her name to the letter. All of this unfolded before the film had even screened. Naturally, the film's screening became one of the most sought-after tickets at Cannes. When I arrived to the screening, the first thing I noticed was the queue. It stretched two blocks down the street. Many in line were wearing kuffiyehs, turning the entrance into a powerful statement of solidarity with Palestine. Before the film started, Farsi took the stage. She fought back tears as she introduced the film. Throughout the screening, loud sobs erupted across the room. By the time the credits rolled, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Everyone in the room stood and applauded the filmmaker. She held up a large photo of Fatma raising her fist in defiance. It was, without doubt, the most emotionally charged screening I've ever witnessed at Cannes. The film is essentially told through a series of video calls between the director and the young photojournalist. What struck me most was that it focused less on the horrors of war, and more on the bond between them. I was pleasantly surprised by that. In fact, I think that's exactly why it hit so much harder. We got to know Fatma Hassona. Her warmth, her humor, her resilience. By the end, it didn't feel like we were just watching a story unfold. It felt like we were losing someone we had come to care about deeply. There's a scene towards the end that's particularly difficult to watch. It was surely added after her death. The director tells Fatma that the film has been selected for Cannes. Fatma lights up. You can see her unable to contain her joy. Farsi cautiously brings up the possible risks of the film's visibility on this big stage. She suggests relocating her family to a different building for safety, but Fatma refuses. She insists on staying, calling the place her home. What makes this moment so hard-hitting is that we, the viewers, already know what's coming. The film itself is told in a very specific and intimate way. Farsi often films the screen of her phone during video calls and records news reports playing on her television. She intercuts these 'screened screens' with photographs taken by Fatma. By embedding layers of screen-within-screen imagery, the director draws attention to the act of witnessing. The filmmaking method highlights how contemporary conflict is increasingly seen through interfaces, pixels, and social media platforms. It becomes a document of a genocide being archived in the digital age. We grow closer to Fatma through these calls. Yet, we are always reminded of the barriers that separate us from those in the front lines. These barriers are not just geographical, but technological. Their video calls constantly get disrupted by a loss of connection. The screen becomes both a portal and a partition, a channel of connection and a wall. Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk is not just a film. It is an elegy, a protest, and a record of resistance. It immortalizes a voice that tried to make the world see, even as that world looked away. Through Farsi's lens, we are left with more than just a memory of Fatma Hassona. We are left with an obligation. To witness. To remember. To speak. To act.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Two-Time Palme D'Or Winner Ken Loach Shares Open Letter Remembering Palestinian Journalist Fatima Hassouna & Calls For An End To The Violence In Gaza
Longtime collaborators and two-time Palme d'Or winners Ken Loach and Paul Laverty have shared a lengthy open letter backing Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, the latest feature from Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi, which debuts this evening in Cannes. The film is a hot topic in Cannes this week as it predominantly features Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed on April 16 in an Israeli airstrike on her home in northern Gaza. Hassouna was killed alongside 10 members of her family, including her pregnant sister. More from Deadline Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, David Cronenberg & Javier Bardem Join 380 Cinema Figures In Open Letter Condemning Silence Over Gaza – Cannes Israeli Eurovision Singer Says She Has Been Rehearsing With Booing Sounds In Anticipation Of Backlash Ooh-La-La Land: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex* (*And The Cannes Film Festival) Since Israel began its offensive in Gaza, following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed more than 1000 people, at least 52,000 people have been killed, more than half of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Dozens of Gazan civilians have been killed this week alone. Meanwhile, 58 Israeli hostages remain in the enclave. In the open letter posted to social media, Loach and Laverty, Cannes veterans with ten competition films and two Palme d'Or wins between them, detail their deep concern about the continued violence in Gaza and call on the international film community to advocate for peace here in Cannes. 'For a few short days, the world's attention rests on Cannes as film-makers from many countries try their best to make sense of what is happening around them. Cannes has a tradition of engagement in the affairs of the day, and some still have vivid memories of the events of 1968,' the letter reads. 'Young Fatima clearly foresaw her own murder, and said, 'I want a loud death.' On 15th May, the day of the screening, can we honour this courageous young woman, and her fellow Palestinian journalists (no foreign journalist has been allowed into Gaza) who gave their lives to bear witness to mass murder.' The duo also expresses their support for Farsi and her filmmaking team. The missive comes after another open letter signed by hundreds of actors and filmmakers emerged this week. You can read the full letter from Loach and Laverty below. Open Letter: A note of solidarity from Ken Loach and Paul Laverty to those who made the film 'PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK' to be premiered in Cannes in 2025, and to the many who will see it in the future. Dear Friends, The film Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk directed by Sepideh Farsi, part of the ACID parallel section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, will be screened on May 15th. Congratulations to all those who made this happen. The film celebrates the life of photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, 25, who was murdered in Gaza, alongside her two sisters, three brothers and her father, on the 16th April, one day after the film was selected for Cannes. She joins what Reporters Without Borders calls 'the massacre' of journalists, now approaching 200, over the last 18 months. At least 3 UN bodies, plus Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Médecins Sans Frontières, and many others have described Israel's actions in Gaza as Genocide. Perhaps the most conclusive evidence assembled has been the 800 page report and interactive digital platform by experts at Forensic Architecture. Here is the link to their rigorous work called 'The Cartography of Genocide.' This is one of the most devastating studies of our time. Their conclusion is as follows. 'The patterns we have observed concerning Israel's military conduct in Gaza indicate a systematic and organised campaign to destroy life, conditions necessary for life, and life-sustaining infrastructure.' No-one can now claim we do not know. Consequences follow. The Genocide Convention came into force in 1951. Article I states that all signatory states must actively PREVENT and PUNISH genocide. This is an international obligation and not an internal matter alone. It states that individuals can be punished whether as private individuals or as public officials. 'Complicity in Genocide' is explicitly addressed in Article III (e) which includes 'direct assistance' (weapons or arms),'indirect assistance' (political or diplomatic support) and crucially, 'failure to act', i.e. knowing failure to take action to prevent genocide, when, in certain cases, one has the means and responsibility to do so. The Genocide Convention is ignored by State signatories around the world. It is ignored by institutions within these states. At a minimum, why are State prosecuting services not pursuing the arms dealers and their investors? Now that the International Court of Justice has shamefully delayed the case of South Africa V Israel until January 2026, we can see in full horror the collapse of humanitarian law before our eyes. How many more 2000 pound bombs will Israel drop on tents before the hearing in 2026? How many more might die of starvation? For a few short days the world's attention rests on Cannes as film-makers from many countries try their best to make sense of what is happening around them. Cannes has a tradition of engagement in the affairs of the day, and some still have vivid memories of the events of 1968. Young Fatima clearly foresaw her own murder, and said 'I want a loud death'. On 15th May, the day of the screening, can we honour this courageous young woman, and her fellow Palestinian journalists, (no foreign journalist has been allowed into Gaza) who gave their lives to bear witness to mass murder. Can we all make her death as loud as possible, and insist that States carry out their duties under the Genocide Convention? Can we demand that the international community puts an end to the war crimes of Israel, enabled by the United States, and the other corrupt and cowardly Governments, including our own in the UK who follow in their wake? If we do not stop Genocide now, the Israeli/Trump version of the Riviera in Gaza will be built on the rubble and the dead. The ethnic cleansing will continue through the West Bank and the Palestinian people will have been finally driven from their historic homeland. If the war criminals escape justice what horrors will come next? Fatima Hassouna , and her family, murdered on the 16th April, '25, Rest in Peace. PAUL LAVERTY, KEN LOACH May 2025. Best of Deadline Where To Watch All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies: Streamers With Multiple Films In The Franchise Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far 'Bridgerton' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far
Egypt Independent
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Gaza photojournalist who wrote, ‘If I die, I want a resounding death' killed in Israeli airstrike
CNN — Fatima Hassouna, a war documentarian who had covered the conflict in Gaza on the ground for 18 months, was killed along with seven members of her family in an Israeli strike this week. 'If I die, I want a resounding death, I do not want me in urgent news, nor in a number with a group,' Hassouna wrote in a post on Instagram in August 2024. 'I want a death that the world hears, an effect that remains for the extent of the ages, and immortal images that neither time nor space buries,' added the photojournalist, who is the subject of a new documentary to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival next month. The health ministry in Gaza told CNN on Friday that Hassouna's parents survived the strike on Wednesday, but both suffered critical injuries and are in an intensive care unit. The Palestinian Journalists' Protection Center (PJPC) said it mourns the loss of Hassouna. It said that the strike that killed her targeted her family's home on Al-Nafaq Street in Gaza City and also killed several of her family members. It described the attack as a 'crime' against journalists and a violation of international law. 'Fatima's powerful photos documenting life under siege were published globally, shedding light on the human toll of the war,' the center said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday that the target was 'a terrorist in Hamas' Gaza City Brigade' and that steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. 'The terrorist planned and executed terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians,' the IDF said in a statement without providing further details. Fatima's cousin Hamza Hassouna recounted the strike to CNN Friday. 'I was sitting when suddenly two rockets fell, one next to me and one in the living room. The house fell on us and everything was a disaster,' he said. Hassouna posted her photos on Facebook and Instagram, where she had more than 35,000 followers. Her images documented the challenges of everyday life in Gaza and the threat of living under Israeli bombardment. She was featured in Sepideh Farsi's documentary film, Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, which has been selected to be screened in the ACID section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. A director's statement describes the film as 'a window, opened through a miraculous encounter with Fatima' into the 'ongoing massacre of the Palestinians.' Following the news of Hassouna's death, the Iranian film director on Friday shared a photo on social media featuring herself on camera with Hassouna, who was smiling. 'My last image of her is a smile. I cling to it today,' Farsi wrote alongside the picture. Speaking to CNN Friday, Farsi said Hassouna was 'a very bright and solar person, had an amazing smile and was an optimistic person by nature.' The film director said she had worked with Hassouna for more than a year on the documentary and that they got to know each other very well. Farsi said the last time she contacted Hassouna was one day before her death to give her 'the happy news' about the documentary. 'We both discussed her traveling to France in May to present the documentary in Cannes with me, since she is the main protagonist,' Farsi said. 'I thought it was a mistake when I heard about her death,' Farsi added. 'I hope this documentary will shed light on her life in Gaza and serve as a tribute to her memory.' According to the PJPC, the number of journalists who have died in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 212, an unprecedented toll according to numerous journalist groups. The organization called on the international community to open an immediate investigation into the incident and hold those responsible to account. Hassouna's neighbor, Um Aed Ajur, described Hassouna as proud of the work she was doing. She questioned the strike on her house, saying she and her family 'have no connection' to any group. 'We have been neighbors for 35 years and have never heard that they are connected to any (group),' she added. Hassouna's final post on her Facebook page was a series of photos of Gaza fishermen by the sea last Saturday, less than a week before she was killed. She posted the pictures with a short poem. 'From here you get to know the city. You enter it, but you don't leave, because you won't leave, and you can't,' she wrote. CNN's Lauren Izso contributed reporting
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza photojournalist who wrote, ‘If I die, I want a resounding death' killed in Israeli airstrike
Fatima Hassouna, a war documentarian who had covered the conflict in Gaza on the ground for 18 months, was killed along with seven members of her family in an Israeli strike this week. 'If I die, I want a resounding death, I do not want me in urgent news, nor in a number with a group,' Hassouna wrote in a post on Instagram in August 2024. 'I want a death that the world hears, an effect that remains for the extent of the ages, and immortal images that neither time nor space buries,' added the photojournalist, who is the subject of a new documentary to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival next month. The health ministry in Gaza told CNN on Friday that Hassouna's parents survived the strike on Wednesday, but both suffered critical injuries and are in an intensive care unit. The Palestinian Journalists' Protection Center (PJPC) said it mourns the loss of Hassouna. It said that the strike that killed her targeted her family's home on Al-Nafaq Street in Gaza City and also killed several of her family members. It described the attack as a 'crime' against journalists and a violation of international law. 'Fatima's powerful photos documenting life under siege were published globally, shedding light on the human toll of the war,' the center said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday that the target was 'a terrorist in Hamas' Gaza City Brigade' and that steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. 'The terrorist planned and executed terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians,' the IDF said in a statement without providing further details. Fatima's cousin Hamza Hassouna recounted the strike to CNN Friday. 'I was sitting when suddenly two rockets fell, one next to me and one in the living room. The house fell on us and everything was a disaster,' he said. Hassouna posted her photos on Facebook and Instagram, where she had more than 35,000 followers. Her images documented the challenges of everyday life in Gaza and the threat of living under Israeli bombardment. She was featured in Sepideh Farsi's documentary film, Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, which has been selected to be screened in the ACID section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. A director's statement describes the film as 'a window, opened through a miraculous encounter with Fatima' into the 'ongoing massacre of the Palestinians.' Following the news of Hassouna's death, the Iranian film director on Friday shared a photo on social media featuring herself on camera with Hassouna, who was smiling. 'My last image of her is a smile. I cling to it today,' Farsi wrote alongside the picture. Speaking to CNN Friday, Farsi said Hassouna was 'a very bright and solar person, had an amazing smile and was an optimistic person by nature.' The film director said she had worked with Hassouna for more than a year on the documentary and that they got to know each other very well. Farsi said the last time she contacted Hassouna was one day before her death to give her 'the happy news' about the documentary. 'We both discussed her traveling to France in May to present the documentary in Cannes with me, since she is the main protagonist,' Farsi said. 'I thought it was a mistake when I heard about her death,' Farsi added. 'I hope this documentary will shed light on her life in Gaza and serve as a tribute to her memory.' According to the PJPC, the number of journalists who have died in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 212, an unprecedented toll according to numerous journalist groups. The organization called on the international community to open an immediate investigation into the incident and hold those responsible to account. Hassouna's neighbor, Um Aed Ajur, described Hassouna as proud of the work she was doing. She questioned the strike on her house, saying she and her family 'have no connection' to any group. 'We have been neighbors for 35 years and have never heard that they are connected to any (group),' she added. Hassouna's final post on her Facebook page was a series of photos of Gaza fishermen by the sea last Saturday, less than a week before she was killed. She posted the pictures with a short poem. 'From here you get to know the city. You enter it, but you don't leave, because you won't leave, and you can't,' she wrote. CNN's Lauren Izso contributed reporting
