As the 78th Festival de Cannes unfolds, the shadow of war over Gaza has become impossible to ignore. Palestinian filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Nasser used their platform at the festival to deliver a stark message: “No one is asking how to stop the genocide.”
Born in Gaza in 1988 and exiled for years, the Nasser brothers premiered their latest film, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, in the official selection. The tragi-comic fable explores survival, vengeance, corruption, and friendship within the enclave, depicting a world marked by restrictions, violence, and enduring hardship. Speaking to Isabelle Chenu from France’s Culture service, the directors expressed their outrage at global inaction:
“This story didn’t start in 2023, but at least in 1948. Blood, massacres, exile, denial of rights… Palestinians have always fought to survive and to gain recognition from international bodies. Today, there’s some awareness, but it’s just timid words. No one asks how to stop the genocide. Women, children, the elderly, trees, insects—all are being killed. Enough talk: it’s time to act. Stop the genocide. That’s all.”
A Tribute to Fatima Hassouna
The filmmakers’ statements coincided with a broader show of solidarity from the cinema world. On May 13, nearly 400 figures from global film—including director Pedro Almodóvar and actors Susan Sarandon and Richard Gere—signed an open letter published in Libération and Variety, calling attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The letter also paid tribute to Fatima Hassouna, a young Gaza-based photojournalist killed in an Israeli strike on April 16. Hassouna’s work was featured in a parallel section of the festival, ACID, and she became the subject of the documentary Put Your Hand on Your Soul and Walk. During its screening, director Sepideh Farsi honored Hassouna before a deeply moved audience:
“She said, ‘My camera is a weapon.’ She wanted a loud, brilliant death—she did not want to be just another number on the last page of a newspaper. She may not be here, but in spirit, she is still present. They could not defeat her.”
Cannes as a Platform for Advocacy
The combined statements from filmmakers, actors, and festival figures underscore how Cannes is increasingly serving as a platform for artistic voices speaking on urgent humanitarian issues. For Tarzan and Arab Nasser, the festival offers both an opportunity to present their art and a stage to demand accountability:
“Stop the genocide, that’s all,” they stressed.
Through their film and their words, the Nasser brothers call on the global community to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action to end the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
