Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett attended the Cannes Film Festival in a dress made out of three of the colours of the Palestinian flag. The fourth colour was represented by the red carpet at Cannes.
Blanchett’s appearance at the film festival has been lauded as a gesture of support for the people of Palestine. Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza has claimed at least 35,800 Palestinian lives so far.
Dr Zahira Jaser, a Palestinian associate professor at the University of Sussex Business School posted on X: “When I grow up I want to become Cate Blanchett, and have the subtlety to think the carpet is already red, so I can just wear a black & white dress with green lining to make such a strong point”.
The Australian actress has previously made statements supporting Palestinian freedom. Last year, Blanchett called for a ceasefire in a speech to the European parliament. “I am not from Israel or Palestine. I am not a politician. I am not even a pundit,” she said. “But I am a witness, and having witnessed the human cost of war, violence and persecution visiting refugees from across the globe, I cannot look away.”
Blanchett also signed an Artists4Ceasefire open letter to Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire. “We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” the letter reads.
The artists continued: “We urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.”
“We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail”.”
The artists, who were supported by Oxfam America and ActionAid USA, concluded: “Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed.”
Other signatories to the letter included Jennifer Lopez, Cat Power, Brian Eno, Ben Affleck and Annie Lennox.
Meanwhile, 1,849 artists from the UK have signed up to the Artists4Palestine statement. It reads: “We support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality. In response to the call from Palestinian artists and cultural workers for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.”
