At a special dinner during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Jolie honored journalists and artists who risk everything to tell the truth. But it was her emotional tribute to 23-year-old Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna that brought the room to a standstill.
Fatima’s powerful documentary about life in Gaza had just been selected for Cannes. A day later, her apartment was reduced to rubble in an Israeli airstrike—killing her and nine family members. British investigative group Forensic Architecture confirmed the attack deliberately targeted her home.
“She was telling the world what others wouldn’t dare. And she paid the ultimate price,” Jolie said, her voice heavy with emotion. She also remembered fellow truth-tellers from Sudan and Ukraine, calling them “heroes without armor.”
In a world obsessed with filters, Jolie’s raw truth hit harder than any headline.