Cannes to honor martyred Gaza photojournalist in documentary screening
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Directed by Sepideh Farsi, the film will showcase Hassouna’s powerful documentation of the war on Gaza prior to her martyrdom alongside 10 family members.
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Photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was recently killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home in north Gaza (Social media)
The Cannes Film Festival announced Wednesday that a documentary about Gaza photojournalist Fatima Hassouna will be screened in her honor following her death in an Israeli airstrike last week.
The film, "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk" by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, will be shown at ACID Cannes, a section that runs parallel to the festival’s main competition from May 13-24.
The documentary captures conversations between Farsi and Hassouna, a 25-year-old Palestinian photographer, as she documented the devastating impact of the Israeli occupation’s war on Gaza. Hassouna was martyred along with 10 of her relatives when their family home in northern Gaza was bombed last Wednesday, just one day after the film’s selection was announced.
Cannes expresses sorrow over journalist’s death
In a statement to AFP, the festival said, "The Cannes Film Festival wishes to express its horror and deep sorrow at this tragedy, which has moved and shocked the entire world." The festival added that although a film is "little in the face of such a tragedy," its screening on May 15 will serve as a tribute to Hassouna’s memory, "a victim like so many others of the war."
Before her death, Hassouna wrote 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."
Director Sepideh Farsi, speaking to Deadline, said, "She was such a light, so talented. When you see the film, you’ll understand. I had talked to her a few hours before to tell her that the film was in Cannes and to invite her."
Fatima Hassouna, a renowned Palestinian artist and photojournalist, has been killed by an Israeli air strike.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 20, 2025
She died with nine members of her family in a direct strike on their home in Gaza.
Hassouna appears in Sepideh Farsi’s documentary ‘PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND… pic.twitter.com/mftVRQJ7U8
Hassouna’s story transforms Cannes screening
The ACID Cannes festival remarked that her "life force seemed like a miracle", noting, "This is no longer the same film that we are going to support and present in all theatres, starting with Cannes."
Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the airstrike, accusing the Israeli occupation of a "massacre" of Palestinian journalists. RSF stated, "Her name joins those of nearly 200 journalists killed in 18 months. This carnage must stop."
Palestinian twin filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Nasser will also present their latest work, "Once Upon a Time in Gaza," a story of murder and friendship set amidst the ongoing war, as part of the festival’s Un Certain Regard section.
Gaza bleeds: Over 51,300 killed
Israeli occupation forces have intensified their genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip, killing 39 Palestinians and wounding 105 others in the past 24 hours, as relentless airstrikes and artillery shelling continue across the besieged territory.
Hospitals in Gaza reported that among the dead was one victim retrieved from under the rubble, with many more civilians still trapped in destroyed homes and streets, unreachable due to ongoing bombardment. The total death toll since October 7, 2023, has now reached 51,305, with 117,096 injured, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Since March 18, 2025, Gaza has recorded 1,928 martyrs and 5,055 injuries, highlighting the sharp escalation of the ongoing Israeli genocide.
