Hollywood celebrities, musicians speak out on Gaza  

Celebrities from Hollywood and across the globe are speaking on the increased military escalation in Gaza, the latest being British actor and Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed and US actor John Cusack. (AFP)
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Updated 19 October 2023
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Hollywood celebrities, musicians speak out on Gaza  

  • Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed, US actor John Cusack and others have taken to social media amid the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza 
  • Several Hollywood celebrities have also spoken in support of Israel, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Natalie Portman, Justin Bieber, Liev Schreiber, Debra Messing and Amy Schumer 

DUBAI: Celebrities from Hollywood and across the globe are speaking on the increased military escalation in Gaza, the latest being British actor and Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed.  

Ahmed, who is of Pakistani descent, took to Instagram to say there are “no two sides” to current events in Gaza, but only “the side of humanity,” and pleaded for an “end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza’s civilians.”  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Riz Ahmed (@rizahmed)

“What happened in Israel last week was horrific and wrong. The pain and fear so many are feeling is deep, and real,” he wrote, referring to Oct. 7’s attack by Hamas.  

“What’s happening in Gaza now, and has been happening in Palestine under the Occupation for decades, is horrific and wrong. The depth and reality of this suffering cannot be ignored. If we look in only one direction, we will go even into darkness,” he continued.  

“But that is exactly what is happening right now.  We are being asked to look away while the civilians of Gaza, half of them children, are running out of time. If we are on the side of humanity, we must urgently speak up to try and avert the loss of innocent life. This means calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza’s civilians and vital infrastructure, the denial of food, water, and electricity, and the forced displacement of people from their homes. These are morally indefensible war crimes.”  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by John Cusack (@johncusack)

US actor John Cusack took to X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, to show his support for Palestine, saying, “Palestinian civilians didn’t ask for a massacre.”   

“I was out at the Palestinian march in Chicago. I’ll tell you what I didn’t hear; I didn’t hear death to Israel, I didn’t hear death to Jews, I didn’t hear people celebrating the murders of Israeli civilians. What I DID hear is - we must free Palestine from a brutal occupation - people concerned for their loved ones, in a hell zone, stuck without food, water and power. Deep anguish over people being told to leave and bombed as they left,” wrote Cusack.   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by ramy youssef (@ramy)

US Egyptian actor-filmmaker Ramy Youssef also took to Instagram to share his heartfelt thoughts as he shared images of Palestinian and Israeli artists and creators he’s worked with.  

“These are some of the most beautiful artists I know. I’m scared for them, and I always have been. we were in Palestine together when Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered— an American journalist in a press vest, killed by a soldier. some of our crew had worked with her. I remember the panic in their faces. I remember how there was never any legal recourse for her murder. there never is. they have witnessed decades of human-rights violations and children killed. I am horrified at what has happened to Palestinian lives. I am horrified at what has happened to Israeli lives. I have spent so much of my adult life praying for everyone in the region. praying for my PTSD-filled Muslim and Jewish sisters and brothers around the world— as well as Christians there and beyond,” he wrote as part of his long caption.  

Youssef also called for an end to the violence in Gaza. “There are hostages and dead bodies and Gaza is on the brink of being destroyed. Entire generations of families. These are civilians with no recourse and nowhere to go. a million people are being asked to evacuate to nowhere. The people of Gaza do not deserve to pay the price for our failings. If Gaza is erased, history will see we stood by. that we failed to find our humanity,” he continued.  

Responding to Youssef, Marvel superstar Mark Ruffalo, known for playing Hulk in the “Avengers” films, wrote in the comments, “I was just thinking, there are very few celebrities speaking on this issue who have the lived experience and knowledge that you do. You have worked there and spent time there. You hold all these people dear and you are a man of such humanity and quality. Your voice, your life, your work, your love and your genuine care are so important in this chaotic and passionate moment. You have so much to offer to this conversation in and informed and insightful way. It is so needed in this moment. Thank you again, Ramy. I’m so proud to know you,” wrote Ruffalo.  

British comedian and political commentator John Oliver took a moment on his “Last Week Tonight” cold open to also address the humanitarian crisis.  

“I don’t know where things stand in Gaza as you watch this right now, but all signs seem to be pointing toward a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Oliver.  

And he directed his anger toward “the zealots and extremists across the board who’ve consistently thwarted attempts at peace over the years. Israelis and Palestinians have been let down by their leadership time and time again, and I don’t have a great deal of faith in the leaders currently in charge to steer us toward peace.”  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Kehlani (@kehlani)

US singer-songwriter Kehlani also spoke at a pro-Palestine rally held in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, where she said there was nothing complicated about taking a public stance on the matter. “I think it’s black and white, and you have a choice to see it or not… I want all my followers and peers to sit on the right side of history. I want them to make a decision that is larger than them. I want them to make an unselfish one. I want them to make an obvious one. And I just hope they choose to do the right thing. Imma keep reiterating that it’s not that complicated of a decision to make.”  

Several Hollywood celebrities have also spoken in support of Israel including Jamie Lee Curtis, Natalie Portman, Justin Bieber, Liev Schreiber, Debra Messing and Amy Schumer.  

Some of them even found themselves making mistakes amid the conflict: Singer Bieber posted a photo of destruction in Gaza with the caption “praying for Israel” before taking it down without addressing the error.  

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis deleted a photo she posted of Palestinian children in Gaza with an Israeli flag in a caption reading “terror in the skies” — she has not addressed the mistaken image at the time of publishing.  

On Oct. 9, Natalie Portman, who was born in Jerusalem, shared a statement on Instagram, writing, “My heart is shattered for the people of Israel. Children, women and the elderly have been murdered and abducted from their homes. I am in horror at these barbaric acts and my heart is pounding with love and prayer for the families of all affected.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid)

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill – who posted a picture of the American and Israeli flags side by side, captioning the post, “America stands with Israel” – later took to Instagram to repost a comment by US-Dutch-Palestinian supermodel Gigi Hadid.   

“My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict – too many of which are children,” wrote Hadid, whose father is Palestinian.  

“I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it’s a responsibility I hold daily.  

“I also feel a responsibility to my Jewish friends to make it clear, as I have before: while I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person.”  

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Huda (@huda)

 

US-Iraqi beauty moguls Huda and Mona Kattan took to Instagram to express their solidarity with the Palestinians. 

“It’s the first time we experience a tragedy at this magnitude, so graphic via social media. Witnessing an entire population getting destroyed in real time is so devastating,” Mona wrote, referring to Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza.   

 

 

Meanwhile, Huda, founder of cosmetics brand Huda Beauty, found herself in the midst of a social media storm. She faced fierce backlash and calls for a boycott of her products after posting a series of photos and videos highlighting the humanitarian crisis in occupied Palestine. 

Swedish pop singer Zara Larsson posted a story on her Instagram, suggesting a double standard in international responses to the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine.

“Oh so it’s stand with Ukraine when Russia invades but not Palesti-” she captioned her photo.  

The singer has been vocal about her support for the Palestinian cause over the years, and has posted several stories over the week addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza.


Iraq’s first filmmaker in Cannes says sanctions no piece of cake

Updated 57 min 20 sec ago
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Iraq’s first filmmaker in Cannes says sanctions no piece of cake

CANNES: Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Festival, said economic embargoes like those imposed in his childhood under Saddam Hussein did not work.
“Sanctions empower dictators,” he told AFP, as they concentrate scant resources in their hands and only make them “more brutal.”
“In the history of the world, there was no one time when they (imposed) sanctions and the president couldn’t eat.”
Hadi’s first feature film, “The President’s Cake,” has received very good reviews since premiering Friday in the Directors’ Fortnight section.
Cinema publication Deadline said it was “head and shoulders above” some of the films in the running for the festival’s Palme d’Or top prize, and “could turn out to be Iraq’s first nominee for an Oscar.”
The film follows nine-year-old Lamia after she has the misfortune of being picked by her school teacher to bake the class a cake for the president’s birthday, or be denounced for disloyalty.
It is the early 1990s, the country is under crippling UN sanctions. She and her grandmother — with whom she shares a reed home in Iraq’s southern marshlands — can barely afford to eat.
As they set off into town to hunt down unaffordable ingredients, with Lamia’s pet cockerel and their last meagre belongings to sell, the film plunges into the social reality — and everyday petty corruption — of 1990s Iraq.
The near-total trade and financial embargo imposed on Iraq after it invaded Kuwait “demolished the moral fabric of society,” Hadi said.
It sent the country “hundreds of years back.”


The filmmaker said he did not taste cake until he was in his early teens, after the US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam and sanctions were lifted.
Instead, with processed sugar and eggs out of reach, there was “date cake” — whose main ingredient was squished dates, sometimes with a candle on top.
“As a kid you’re sad that you’re not getting your cake,” he said. But as you grow up, you realize what your parents must have gone through to put food on the table.
“Not only my family, but all of these people had to sell literally everything,” he said. “There were people that were even selling their door frames.”
Hadi and his team shot the film entirely in Iraq.
It beautifully captures the ancient wetlands in the south of the country, listed as a World Heritage Site since 2016 and reputedly the home of the biblical Garden of Eden.
Saddam drained them in the 1990s, trying to flush out rebels hiding in the reeds.
But after the US-led invasion, authorities opened up the valves and the wetlands flourished again — even if they are now threatened by climate change.
Hadi said he chose the location partly to make the point that “the marshes stayed and Saddam went away.”


To re-create the Iraq of his youth, Hadi and his crew paid close attention to detail, amassing vintage clothes and bringing a barber on set to trim the hair and moustaches of everyone down to the extras.
They scouted out the best locations, shooting one scene in a small eatery reputed to have been frequented by Saddam himself.
They chose non-actors to play ordinary Iraqis under the ever-present eyes of the president in posters, pictures frames and murals.
Hadi said hearing US President Donald Trump say recently that he planned to lift sanctions on Syria after Islamists toppled president Bashar Assad last year was “amazing.”
“I don’t think the sanctions helped in any way to get rid of Bashar, but definitely empowered him to kill more people, and torture more people,” he said.


Man badly hurt by falling palm tree at Cannes film festival

Updated 17 May 2025
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Man badly hurt by falling palm tree at Cannes film festival

  • The Asian man, believed to have been attending the festival, was badly injured
  • A sudden gust of wind brought the tree down

CANNES: A man was seriously hurt after a palm tree fell onto him at the Cannes film festival on Saturday.

The Asian man, believed to have been attending the festival, was badly injured, firemen who treated him at the scene said.

A sudden gust of wind brought the tree down near the Palais des Festivals on the Croisette esplanade overlooking the Mediterranean, an AFP journalist at the scene said.


The accident happened as the American movie “Eddington,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Pedro Pascal was being shown.

The Croisette was crowded with festivalgoers when the tree fell, witnesses said.

“There was a terrible gust of wind and I heard a cry,” said Marthy Fink from Luxembourg.


Amal Clooney stuns in black at Cannes Film Festival

Updated 17 May 2025
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Amal Clooney stuns in black at Cannes Film Festival

DUBAI: Lebanese British human rights lawyer Amal Clooney made a head-turning appearance at the 78th Cannes Film Festival this week, wearing a black gown by British designer John Galliano.

Clooney attended the premiere of “Bono: Stories of Surrender” in a sleek, off-the-shoulder dress featuring a fitted bodice with subtle draping and a floor-length skirt with a gentle train. She completed the look with a black clutch and Cartier statement earrings, styling her hair in soft, voluminous waves.

On the red carpet, Clooney was joined by U2 guitarist the Edge and frontman Bono, the subject of “Bono: Stories of Surrender.”

Amal Clooney made a head-turning appearance at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. (Getty Images)

The black-and-white film, directed by Andrew Dominik, adapts Bono’s 2022 memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” and his one-man stage show of the same name.

Set to some of U2’s most iconic tracks, Bono opens up about the tragedy that marked his childhood, with his mother Iris collapsing and dying at her own father’s funeral when the singer was 14.

His father, Brendan “Bob” Hewson, already a man of few words, retreated into shock, anger and depression.

Clooney was joined by U2 guitarist the Edge (L) and frontman Bono (R) on the red carpet. (Getty Images)

The film is also a love letter to the singer’s wife, Ali Hewson, who he met when they were both 15, the same fateful day U2 was formed in a Dublin school. The film streams on Apple TV+ from May 30.

Bono, who has spent decades fighting for more aid to Africa and to lift the debt burden from poor countries, told the audience at the premiere that the world is again being threatened by fascism as it was when the festival was set up in 1939.

“Mussolini and the little man with a moustache, and his mate Goebbels had taken over the Venice Film Festival, so this festival was set up to fight fascism,” the singer said.

“It took it until 1946 (for the festival to get going) but it stands for that freedom now.”

He said that Hollywood star Sean Penn — a vocal advocate for Ukraine — had “brought us some friends from the actual trenches, from the front line in Ukraine, and they’re here tonight.

“I just want to thank you because you’re keeping us free,” Bono added to loud cheers.


Guerlain names Mohammed Hindash first Middle East makeup ambassador

Updated 17 May 2025
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Guerlain names Mohammed Hindash first Middle East makeup ambassador

DUBAI: French beauty house Guerlain this week appointed Dubai-based celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur Mohammed Hindash as its first-ever regional makeup ambassador for the Middle East.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by hindash (@hindash)

Hindash, founder of the makeup brand Hindash Cosmetics, has worked with a roster of international and regional celebrities. His clientele includes Naomi Campbell, Lindsay Lohan, Chanel Iman, Natalia Vodianova, Rahma Riadh, Yusra Mardini, Nancy Ajram, Mona Zaki, Dana Hourani and Mona Kattan. He also did Queen Rania of Jordan’s makeup for the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa in 2023.

He took to Instagram to write: “My chapter with @guerlain represents more than just beauty, it embodies timeless innovation rooted in heritage.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be announced as their first makeup ambassador in the Middle East as I showcase Guerlain through my lens and artistry,” he added. “I have immersed myself in the rich history of the Maison, and I can’t wait to narrate the story on my models’ faces.”


Musician charged with Chris Brown in alleged London nightclub assault

Updated 17 May 2025
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Musician charged with Chris Brown in alleged London nightclub assault

LONDON: A fellow musician and friend of Chris Brown has been charged alongside the Grammy-winning singer on allegations they beat and seriously injured a music producer at a London nightclub in 2023, police said Saturday.
Omolulu Akinlolu, 38, who performs under the name “Hoody Baby,” was due to appear in Manchester Magistrates’ Court on a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Brown, 36, was jailed without bail on the same charge Friday, throwing his upcoming tour into question. He is scheduled to appear at Southwark Crown Court in London on June 13, which is the third day of his world tour.
Akinlolu is a rapper from Dallas, Texas, who has collaborated with Brown and Lil Wayne. He also goes by the names “Fat Leopard” and “Super Hood.”
Police gave no details on what role Akinlolu played in the alleged assault but said he was charged in connection with the same incident as Brown.
Brown was on tour in the UK in February 2023 when he launched an unprovoked attack on producer Abe Diaw, striking him several times with a bottle at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in London, prosecutor Hannah Nicholls said in court Friday.
Brown then chased Diaw and punched and kicked him in an attack caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, she said.
Brown did not enter a plea and only spoke to confirm his name, birth date and gave his address as the Lowry Hotel, where he was arrested in Manchester early Thursday and taken into custody.
Brown’s representative has not responded to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Brown, often called by his nickname Breezy, burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005 and has become a major hitmaker over the years with notable songs such as “Run It,” “Kiss Kiss” and “Without You.”
He won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” and then earned his second gold trophy in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” earlier this year.
He is scheduled to launch an international tour next month with artists Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller, opening with a European leg on June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.