Venice Film Festival Activism

Venice, Italy — The Venice Film Festival kicks off this week, and activists are hoping to draw attention to Gaza amidst the arrival of Hollywood celebrities at Lido.

The group Venice 4 Palestine is urging the festival and its organizing body, the Venice Biennale, to sever ties with an organization backing the Israeli government. They also want the festival to rescind invitations extended to actors Gerard Butler and Gal Gadot. On the first day of the festival, protesters plan to hold a press conference in front of the iconic red carpet. Additionally, a demonstration is scheduled for Saturday evening, coinciding with the world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.”

Filmmakers Ken Loach and Alice Rohrwacher are among many who have signed the Venice 4 Palestine letter. Festival director Alberto Barbera mentioned to the Associated Press that, while he empathizes with the victims in Gaza, the Biennale will not issue a political statement or boycott any artists.

“We aim to be a space for dialogue,” Barbera stated. “We’re open to discussions regarding this critical situation in Palestine.”

There were claims that Gadot might withdraw from the festival following criticism; however, Barbera clarified that the “Snow White” actress was never slated to attend. A spokesperson for Gadot could not be reached for immediate comments.

Both Gadot and Butler star in Julian Schnabel’s film “In the Hand of Dante,” set to premiere in the festival competition on September 3rd.

While Butler has not spoken out publicly regarding the Gaza conflict, he did attend an event for a friend associated with the IDF in 2018. Barbera noted he was still waiting on confirmation regarding Butler’s attendance. Representatives for the actor were also not available for comment.

The festival and Biennale have refrained from making political statements about Gaza, yet they will premiere Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which tells the story of a six-year-old girl who died attempting to escape Gaza City in early 2024.

Last year, the festival featured a show in one of its sidebar sections that addressed the aftermath of a Hamas attack on Israel, highlighting Israeli filmmaker Dani Rosenberg’s docudrama “Dogs and Men.”

“We are navigating a very complex and daunting era,” Barbera remarked. “The films being showcased reflect these pressing global concerns.”

On Monday, a significant airstrike in the Gaza Strip resulted in at least 20 fatalities, including five journalists, marking one of the deadliest days in the ongoing conflict. According to the Ministry of Health, around 62,686 Palestinians have died since the war began, which was ignited by a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Amid fears of protest last year, Israeli artists and curators at the Venice Biennale opted to close the Israeli pavilion and declared they would only reopen if a ceasefire in Gaza was achieved.