The 82nd Venice Film Festival opened with La Grazia, the new film by Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino. Yet this year, the festival is making headlines more for its political climate than for cinema. Last Saturday, one of the largest protests in the Venice Film Festival’s history took place, with thousands gathering at the venue to demand an end to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
The protest was organized by “Venice4Palestine,” a platform formed by international film professionals. The group published an open letter addressed to the festival leadership and artists, urging them to take action and accelerate plans for mass demonstrations.
During the protest, chants of “Free Palestine” rang out, while placards and banners read, “Stop the genocide, stop arms sales, stop Western complicity.”
As the march continued, police closed the main streets of Lido, where the festival takes place, amplifying the protesters’ voices across the city. Meanwhile, Israeli actress Gal Gadot chose not to attend the festival despite starring in In The Hand of Dante, which is part of the official selection, due to protests targeting her.
See also: More Than 350 Stars Condemn Gaza Genocide in Open Letter at the 78th Cannes Film Festival
One of the most striking moments of the 82nd Venice Film Festival occurred in front of “Isola Edipo.” Nobel Prize-winning French author Annie Ernaux and French filmmaker Céline Sciamma read out a text titled “Da Venezia a Gaza” (“From Venice to Gaza”), condemning the genocide in Gaza.
The statement served as a manifesto on crimes of genocide and the struggle for human rights. It emphasized the violence and starvation faced by civilians in Palestine, while Ernaux and Sciamma made clear that they could not remain silent.
