- Paul Laverty praised the French film festival for choosing an image of Susan Sarandon from Thelma & Louise for this year’s official poster.
- Paul Laverty showed support for stars such as Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo, claiming they faced backlash in Hollywood after speaking out about the deaths of women and children in Gaza.
- Paul Laverty is the writer behind two Cannes Film Festival winning film
Paul Laverty, the writer behind two Cannes Film Festival winning films and jury this year, received applause after criticising Hollywood for allegedly sidelining several actors over their views on Israeli war in Gaza. He also praised the French film festival for choosing an image of Susan Sarandon from Thelma & Louise for this year's official poster.
He further showed support for stars such as Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo, claiming they faced backlash in Hollywood after speaking out about the deaths of women and children in Gaza. He described them as admirable people and wished them well. He jokingly hoped that Cannes doesn't get into trouble for using Sarandon's image on the festival poster.
As per Variety, during the press conference, Paul Laverty said, “Can I just leave one tiny thing? The Cannes Film Festival has a wonderful poster. Yes and isn't it fascinating to see some of them like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo blacklisted because of their views in opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza? Shame on Hollywood, people who do that. My respect and total solidarity to them. They're the best of us and good luck to them. I just hope we don't get bombed now, because we've got this poster in Cannes.”
Before attacking Hollywood, Paul Laverty referred to a famous line from Shakespeare's King Lear “Tis' the time's plague when madmen lead the blind.”
Laverty said being chosen as part of the Cannes jury felt like a positive escape from the difficult political and social situation happening around the world. He explained that constant news about violence and the suffering in Gaza can be emotionally heavy, so attending a film festival that celebrates creativity, different voices, emotion and artistic expression felt meaningful and refreshing to him. He also said the mix of ideas, beauty and storytelling at Cannes had a strong impact on him.
Other members of the Cannes jury this year include Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Chloe Zhao, Stellan Skarsgard, Belgian director Laura Wandel, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes and actor Isaach de Bankole.
