The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, running from May 13 to 24, 2025, kicked off yesterday with powerful moments, marked by the strong commitment of many artists. On Monday, 380 of them signed a manifesto urging the cultural world to break its silence on the genocide in Gaza. During the jury's press conference the following day, the issue was raised multiple times. In response to one such question, French-Moroccan novelist and jury member Leila Slimani stated, «The role of this festival is to highlight artists, stories, and characters, to capture the essence of human life in both its most horrific and its most beautiful aspects, thus conveying the contradictions that exist within us all». «Yes, human life is filled with monstrosities, but it goes on. Despite everything, we wake up, we dress, we educate our children, we make films... We laugh, even when part of the world is in darkness. I believe this is also part of what we must do: continue to defend beauty, poetry, artists, and the will to live», she argued. In the same context, jury president Juliette Binoche explained that she could not respond to a question regarding her initially planned absence from the artists' manifesto. Among the signatories are notable figures such as Pedro Almodóvar, Ruben Östlund, Virginie Efira, David Cronenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Viggo Mortensen, Javier Bardem, Leïla Bekhti, Costa-Gavras, Aki Kaurismäki, Julie Delpy, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Laura Poitras. During the opening ceremony, Juliette Binoche spoke on behalf of «the hostages of October 7» and Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in an Israeli bombing during the occupation in April. A central figure in the documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, featured at the Cannes Festival, «she should have been with us tonight», Binoche remarked. Beyond the speech, the ceremony was marked by the honorary Palme d'Or awarded to Robert De Niro by Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as tributes to actress Emilie Dequenne, who died in March at 43 from a rare cancer, and filmmaker David Lynch, who passed away in January.
