The Venice Film Festival opened Wednesday in the shadow of calls by over one thousand Italian industry professionals for the festival to take a strong stand on the war in Gaza, and the jury president for the main competition, Alexander Payne, said that he was not prepared to answer a question about the issue.
Payne, the director of such films as The Holdovers, and Sideways, who has made pointedly satirical films about American politics, including Election and Citizen Ruth, said at a press conference Wednesday that he was “a little bit unprepared for that question. I’m here to judge and talk about cinema. My political views I’m sure are in agreement with many of yours, but as far as my relationship with the festival and what the industry does, I have to think about that for a while to give you a measured response.”
Alberto Barbera, the Venice artistic director, was also questioned about the festival’s position on the war, and answered, “We have been asked to turn down invitations to artists. We will not do that. If they want to be at the festival, they will be here. On the other hand, we have never hesitated to clearly declare our huge sadness vis à vis what is happening in Gaza, in Palestine, the death of civilians and especially of children who are victims… of a war that nobody has been able to terminate yet. I think there are no doubts as regards the position of La Biennale on this.”
The artists he was referring to were likely Gal Gadot, the Israeli turned Hollywood star, and Gerard Butler, who have parts in Julian Schnabel’s out-of-competition drama, In the Hand of Dante.
Activists have called for Gadot’s invitation to be rescinded because she is Israeli, and for Butler’s because he appeared at a fundraiser for Israeli organizations several years ago. But Gadot never planned to attend, according to her spokesperson, who was quoted by Deadline. The Venice Film Festival office also confirmed that Gadot never intended to attend, according to Ynet.
Gadot posted a story to her Instagram account with a clip by Jewish businessman and influencer Ari Ackerman, who stated that Gadot was never going to come to Venice this year and that the call to ban her was simply because she is Jewish and Israeli.
This was the only reference Gadot has made about the Venice controversy on her social media and she has instead been posting photos of her family and friends on her summer vacation in Israel.
While last year, Venice showed Dani Rosenberg’s Of Dogs and Men, a drama about a teen from Kibbutz Nir Oz searching for her dog after the October 7 massacre, this year, there are no Israeli films in the main competitions.
'The Voice of Hind Rajab'
The main competition does feature The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania, a fact-based drama that tells the story of a six-year-old girl trapped in a car under fire Gaza during the war, pleading to be rescued, who was killed.
The main cast includes Clara Khoury, an actress from Haifa whose father is Israel Prize winner Makram Khoury. Its producers include movie industry heavyweights as directors Alfonso Cuaron and Jonathan Glazer, and actors Brad Pitt, Rooney Mara, and Joaquin Phoenix.
Venice’s main competition awards the Golden Lion, the festival’s highest honor, and Israeli director Samuel Maoz’s film, Lebanon, won in 2009.