From Gaza to Cannes: Palestinian Stories Take the Spotlight

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Every single day is a new Nakba, is a new suffering. And it's very important for us to remember all together these horrible times that we are living in to also remind ourselves why do we do films? Cuz this is the main reason why we do our films.

[00:00:24]>> [applause] >> It's extremely important to have our voice heard at Cannes. Cannes is one of the most important [music] film events on the planet. There were a few occasions, I think twice, that we had a sound of a bombing from a plane, Israeli plane, over the dialogues while we were filming. And so I had to repeat the take.

[00:01:19]Filmmaker Mohammad Abu Shareef was scheduled to present his documentary Super Sila. It's unclear whether he was prevented by Israeli or French authority.

[00:01:28]>> I'm in Gaza.

[00:01:30]Uh of course, I I received an official invitation from Cannes.

[00:01:36]Uh but like all Palestinians in Gaza, I'm still not allowed to travel.

[00:01:48]Yeah, I saw for example coming again into that is has been committed and is still being committed genocide is a fact.

[00:01:57]You can fight against it, you can try to justify it, explain it. That is a fact.

[00:02:02]If you justify it with your silence or with your support, you [music] are pro-genocide. And so, a sad state of affairs is not that that that film festivals suddenly become the only place where one can talk about wars, conflicts, genocides. I just wish that the question times in various [music] parliaments around the world were much more opaque and honest and working towards solutions because it's appalling and I'm enraged [music] at what's going on in the world.