Silent march for peace: Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and Jacques Audiard among 500 French cinema professionals

Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, and Jacques Audiard are part of the group of 500 French cinema professionals who have endorsed an open letter in support of a silent peace march set to take place in Paris this Sunday. The initiative, organized in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict and its ongoing global impact, is being led by the recently established collective known as "Une Autre Voix" (Another Voice).

The letter emphasizes that the ongoing fratricidal war impacts everyone, irrespective of individual reasons or affiliations on either side of the conflict. The collective's shared aspiration is for the hostilities to come to an end, allowing both peoples to finally live in peace.

In response , a silent, unified, humanist, and peaceful march is being coordinated, set to commence with a single long white banner. The letter explicitly states that there will be no political assertions or slogans, and participants are encouraged to display white flags or handkerchiefs.


Belgian-Moroccan actress Lubna Azabal, known for her roles in 'The Blue Caftan' and 'Tel Aviv On Fire,' leads the Une Autre Voix collective. The collective also includes French actress and director Julie Gayet, screenwriter Baya Kasmi, and Lebanese-Canadian dramatist Wajdi Mouawad.

Additional signatories of the letter include Mona Achache, Sofia Alaoui, Jeanne Balibar, Emmanuelle Bercot, Sami Bouajila, Laure Calamy, François Cluzet, Abdel Raouf Dafri, Grégory Gadebois, Michel Hazanavicious, Tewfik Jallab, Olga Kurylenko, Alexandra Lamy, Fabrice de La Patelliere, Mélanie Laurent, Charlotte le Bon, Virginie Ledoyen, Claude Lelouch, Jalil Lespert, Kad Merad, Elsa Zylberstein, and many others.

The march is scheduled six weeks after the deadly Hamas terror attacks on Southern Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,200 casualties and over 240 people being held hostage and transported to the Gaza Strip.

Over the past weekend, Paris witnessed two protests stemming from the conflict. The first, on Saturday, called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while the second protested against anti-Semitism, responding to a rise in anti-Semitic acts across France since October 7.
The letter goes on to emphasize that when faced with death, people do not grieve or rejoice based on their place of birth. Instead, they remain silent, pray, cry with loved ones, show compassion, and affirm their shared humanity. In response to the pressure to align with a particular camp for hatred, the letter stresses the urgent need for another voice to be heard—a voice of unity.

Scheduled to commence at 2 pm CET on Sunday, the march will start from the Institut du Monde Arabe on the Paris Left Bank.

FAQs:

Who all are part of the Paris silent march for peace?
Marion Cotillard, Melanie Laurent, Isabelle Adjani, Nathalie Baye, Jacques Audiard, Christophe Honore and Michel Hazanavicius are among the actors, filmmakers, agents and producers who have called for “a silent march of solidarity, humanism and peace”. Others include filmmakers Arnaud Desplechin, Patrice Leconte, Christopher Thompson and Jan Kounen, actors Francois Berleand, Bruno Podalydes, Tomer Sisley Berenice Bejo, Virginie Ledoyen, Olga Kurylenko, Audrey Fleurot, Julie Gayet, Alexandra Lamy, Emmanuelle Devos, and producers like Camille Trumer, Fabrice De la Patellière, Daniel Ziskind and Bruno Nahon.

When is the Paris silent peace march?
The silent march is planned to take place on November 19 in Paris between two symbolic locations, the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaisme (Museum of Jewish Art and History).