Nov. 30, 2023

French Film Industry Calls for Silent March of Solidarity

More than 500 leading figures from the French Film Industry have penned a letter signature which requests for a silent march regarding the current Israel-Hamas war. By: Dylan Low

Marion Cotillard, Melanie Laurent, Isabelle Adjani, Nathalie Baye and Jacques Audiard, Christophe Honore and Michel Hazanvicius are the names of actors, filmmakers, agents and producers involved. They have asked for a “silent march of solidarity, humanism and peace.” This initiative was set up by Le Collectif Une Autre Voix, meaning Another Voice, and is taken charge by their President Lubna Azabal, a Belgian actress noted for 2022 Cannes Un Certain Regard feature The Blue Caftan.

This event will take place silently, containing white flags and handkerchiefs alongside one long white banner to lead the movement. “No political demands, no slogans” are expected. Many of the representatives who signed are expected to attend the march, the organisers mentioned. 

“Today the world is dramatically divided. Today our streets are divided. An immense wave of hatred is gradually taking hold…” The letter reads, “To this injunction to choose a side to hate, we urgently need to make another voice heard: that of “union”.” The “voice of union” is described as “proof of the powerful bond that exists in France between Jewish, Muslim, Christian, atheist and agnostic citizens.

It continues by saying, “Since October 7, 2023, horror and suffering have torn Palestinians and Israelis apart in a monstrous equation that has been going on for a long time. This fratricidal war affects us all, and whatever our reasons or affinities on either side of the border, we want it to end immediately so that the two peoples can finally live in peace.”

Other signatures are inclusive of notable filmmakers Arnaud Desplechin, Patrice Leconte, Christopher Thompson and Jan Kounen, local actors Francois Berleand, Bruno Podalydes, Tomer Sisley Berenice Bejo, Virginie Ledoyen, Olga Kurylenko, Audrey Fleurot, Julie Gayet, Alexandra Lamy, Emmanuelle Devos, and producers namely Camille Trumer, Fabrice De la Patellière, Daniel Ziskind and Bruno Nahon.

The movement is expected to ensue on November 19th in Paris, taking place between two iconic locations which is the Institut du Monde Arabe, known as Arab World Insitute, and the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaisme, meaning Museum of Jewish Art and History.

This petition happens after another march in solidarity against the trending notion of antisemitism in France, which amassed over 180,000 people locally and 105,000 in Paris. Among the participants was top film industry names including Cultural Minister Rima Abdul Malak, Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch, actor-directors Geraldine Nakache, Sandrine Kiberlain, Natalie Portman and Charlotte Gainsbourg, MK2 CEO Nathanael Karmitz, filmmaker Radu Mihaileanu, producer and actress Elsa Zylberstein, TV executive Arthur Essebag, etc.

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