Palestinian Photojournalist Fatma Hassona, Killed in Israeli Missile Strike, Remembered at Emotional Cannes Premiere of ‘Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk’
The Cannes world premiere of Sepideh Farsi’s documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk became a powerful and emotional tribute to Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, who was tragically killed just weeks before the event.
Farsi, visibly moved, fought back tears during the film’s introduction. At the conclusion, she held up a photograph of Hassona in a solemn gesture of remembrance.
Hassona, a 25-year-old photojournalist based in Gaza, was killed along with her family by an Israeli missile that struck her residential building in April—just one day after the documentary had been officially selected for Cannes.
The documentary features Hassona as its central subject and had captured conversations between Farsi and Hassona, including hopeful discussions about her possibly traveling to Cannes to attend the premiere.
On the opening day of the Cannes Film Festival, Hassona’s name was highlighted in a letter signed by more than 370 film industry professionals. The letter not only condemned her death but also criticized the film community’s broader silence regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Prominent signatories included Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, Melissa Barrera, Yorgos Lanthimos, Javier Bardem, Hannah Einbinder, Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Leigh, Alex Gibney, Viggo Mortensen, Cynthia Nixon, and Tessa Ross.
The letter also criticized AMPAS (the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) for its perceived lack of support for No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballal following his reported arrest by the Israeli military.
“We are ashamed of such passivity,” the letter read. “For Fatma, for all those who die in indifference. Cinema has a duty to carry their messages, to reflect our societies. Let’s act before it’s too late.”
Following the news of Hassona’s death, ACID (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) released a statement mourning her loss:
“Her smile was as magical as her tenacity: bearing witness, photographing Gaza, distributing food despite the bombs, mourning and hunger. We heard her story, rejoiced at each of her appearances to see her alive, we feared for her.”
“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.”
Related topics:
