Overview
- Paul Laverty, speaking at Tuesday’s opening-day Cannes jury press conference, accused Hollywood of blacklisting Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo for opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.
- Laverty pointed to this year’s official festival poster featuring Sarandon’s Thelma & Louise image and said the festival was right to celebrate her, adding a dark joke about the poster drawing threats.
- Susan Sarandon has said she was fired by her U.S. agency after calling for a ceasefire and described recent struggles to book major Hollywood work, noting she found representation and projects in Europe.
- The main competition jury, led by Park Chan-wook, continued its work as Laverty urged filmmakers not to avoid politics, quoting King Lear while condemning what he called genocide in Gaza.
- The remarks follow last year’s open letter signed by more than 350 film figures who criticized the industry’s silence on Gaza, reinforcing how film festivals have become platforms for political speech.