Israeli team at Cannes ‘fear Eurovision repeat’ as festival braced for pro-Palestine protest
The Israeli team at Cannes “fear a Eurovision repeat” as they brace for the film festival to be hit by pro-Palestine protests.
The annual song contest descended into a row over the war against Hamas which saw Israeli contestant Eden Golan booed on stage, with her safety personally arranged by the country’s head of security.
Representatives of Israeli cinema at Cannes are concerned that the glamorous event could become a stage for further protests on the red carpet or elsewhere.
One source in the Israeli team is “saddened” by the negative attention directed toward them, hoping that the “farce” of Eurovision would not be repeated on the Riviera.
The leader of the team in Cannes, Osnat Bukofzer, has been coming to the festival for more than 40 years but is now concerned about attending.
She told the Telegraph: “We are here for films, culture, and open for dialogue.
“We hope that it will be the only action here in Cannes.”
The team in France are there to promote Israeli film and filming locations and is based in one of the many pavilions at the main festival building in Cannes, which this year is ringed by suited security guards.
French authorities have stepped up security to prevent the flagship festival from becoming a stage for protest, and the Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, has banned demonstrations taking place along the coastal stretch where the main events take place.
The festival itself has stepped up security briefings from five to fifteen in preparation for the first event since the October 7 attacks on Israel, and the ensuing ground invasion of Gaza.
The festival’s general secretary Francois Desrousseaux said: “We also have AI-powered cameras around the Palais for the first time, and we’ve also started using new AI safety gates, which allow festival-goers to go through security faster without the burden of having to empty their pockets and show their bags.”
The festival’s director Thierry Fremaux has also called on celebrities to avoid making political statements and to ensure Cannes remains a celebration of film.
Speaking ahead of the opening ceremony, he said: “This year we decided to host a festival without polemics, to make sure that the main interest for us all to be here is cinema, so if there are other polemics it doesn’t concern us.”
Despite this, French star and jury member Omar Sy posted on Instagram that “there is nothing that justifies the killing of children in Gaza. or anywhere” on the event of the festival opening.
