ISLAMABAD (PEN) : The Cannes Film Festival will pay tribute to Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last week, by screening a documentary in which she is prominently featured. The documentary, titled Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, is directed by Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and is set to premiere in the ACID Cannes section on May 15.
Honouring a Voice Silenced by War
Fatima Hassouna, 25, was killed along with ten members of her family when their home in northern Gaza was struck just a day after the documentary’s inclusion in the festival lineup was announced. The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted a Hamas member. However, the attack has drawn condemnation from media rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which accused Israel of carrying out a “massacre” of Palestinian journalists.
In a statement, the *Cannes Film Festival* expressed “horror and deep sorrow” over Hassouna’s death, calling the screening of the documentary a way to honour her memory. “While a film is little in the face of such a tragedy, its screening… will be, in addition to the message of the film itself, a way of honouring the memory of the young woman, a victim like so many others of the war,” the festival noted.
A Powerful Message Preserved on Film
The documentary captures Hassouna’s personal reflections and work documenting the humanitarian toll of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Just before her death, she posted a message on social media: “If I die, I want a loud death. I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group.”
“She was such a light, so talented. When you see the film, you’ll understand,” director Sepideh Farsi told Deadline. “I had talked to her a few hours before to tell her that the film was in Cannes and to invite her.”
The *ACID festival* described Hassouna’s energy and spirit as “a miracle,” stating, “This is no longer the same film that we are going to support and present in all theatres, starting with Cannes.”
RSF, Cannes, and International Community React
RSF, which has tracked the deaths of journalists in the region, added: “Her name joins those of nearly 200 journalists killed in 18 months. This carnage must stop.”
Also featured at Cannes this year, Palestinian twin directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser* will showcase Once Upon a Time in Gaza, a film set in the besieged territory and included in the Un Certain Regard section.
The war began after a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. In response, Israeli military operations have resulted in the deaths of over 51,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
