At the 2024 Cesar ceremony, held on Friday, February 23, the Tunisian director, who won an award for her documentary film “The Daughters of Olfa,” called for an end to the massacres in Gaza. On the other hand, the French-Moroccan actor shone through his silence.
As is now customary at major international events, calls to end the massacre in Gaza were also heard at the “César” awards ceremony, the most prestigious award in French cinema. Big stars had a word for Palestine. The French-Moroccan actor Jamel Debbouze, on the other hand, shone through his silence.
The 49th Cesar ceremony took place on Friday, February 23rd at the Olympia in Paris. It was marked by the triumph of women, who won several prizes at stake, but also by the moving appeals of many stars for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave where more than 30,000 civilians, most of them women and children, were killed have been The Israeli army since October 7th.
Even before they spoke on stage, the artists in solidarity with the people of Gaza could be recognized by a distinctive symbol: a red pin on their chest. It was worn by, among others, actors Adèle Exarchopoulos, Dali Benssalah and Bastien Bouillon as well as directors Audrey Diwan and Kaouther Ben Hania.
The black heart in an orange hand on a red background has become a symbol of the call for a ceasefire in Gaza, having been carried at several ceremonies in the United States.
Gaza: “César” mobilization, silence of Jamel Debbouze
The drawing was created by the Artists4Ceasefire collective, which sent an open letter to President Joe Biden last October calling on him to advocate for a ceasefire in Palestine. The call was signed by around a hundred artists.
In addition to wearing this pin, several actors and directors took advantage of their presence at the César 2024 ceremony to lend their voices to all those calling for an end to the massacre of the people of Gaza.
“Things are difficult because we don’t dare. I too join in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Life demands it, that of the Gazans and the hostages,” said actor Arieh Worthalter, who won best actor for his role in the Goldman trial.
To say: “Killing children becomes a radical demand is completely mind-boggling,” said director Kaouther Ben Hania, who won the César for best documentary for “Olfa’s Daughters.”
“We will not be silent, we will not be intimidated. The massacre must stop […] “What’s happening there is so terrible,” she said. For the Tunisian director, “no one will be able to say I didn’t know,” because “it’s the first live screaming massacre, live on our cell phones.” The video of the short speech was viewed 2.3 million times on the Cerfia sur X page.
Gala Hernández López, winner of the award for best short film, argued that “France is able to respond concretely to situations like those experienced by the Palestinian people today.”
On the other hand, Jamel Debbouze surprised. The actor of Moroccan origin was invited to say a few words when receiving an honorary award, but had no words for Gaza. He completely ignored the events in Palestine, which earned him a lot of criticism on social networks.
ON THE SAME TOPIC:
Morocco: Mass demonstration in Rabat in support of the Gaza Strip and against normalization