PNN – Cinema activists around the world sent a letter to the Venice Film Festival, calling for the film event to address the crimes of the Zionist regime.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, filmmakers, actors, and activists in the world of cinema have published an open letter addressed to the Venice Biennale and Film Festival, calling on institutions and sectors of cinema, art, culture, and education to act more courageously and explicitly in condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing throughout Palestine at the hands of the Zionist regime.
Among the signatories of this letter are Ken Loach, the British filmmaker; Toni Servillo, the Italian actor and star of the 2025 Venice Opening; and the film La Grazia by Paolo Sorrentino; Alba and Alice Rohrwacher, Italian actress and director; Yasmin Trinca, French director Céline Sciamma, and British actress Audrey Diwan; Charles Dance; and the Palestinian director duo Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser, who received the Best Director award in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Festival for their latest film Once Upon a Time in Gaza.
The group highlighted the killing of nearly 250 Palestinian media personnel since the onset of the war in Gaza, holding artistic institutions responsible for raising awareness and fostering resistance.
Read more:
Growing Support for the “Artists Against the Gaza War” Petition in Israel.
The letter states: With attention focused on the Venice Film Festival, we are on the verge of witnessing another major incident that remains indifferent to this humanitarian, civil, and political catastrophe. We are told that ‘the show must go on,’ and asked to look away—as if the ‘world of cinema’ has no connection to the ‘real world.’
It continues: For once, this show must be stopped. We must halt the current of indifference and open a path towards awareness. Cinema cannot exist without humanity.
The letter calls on the festival to host events that highlight Palestinian narratives and create a lasting platform for dialogues addressing ethnic cleansing, apartheid, illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, colonization, and other crimes against humanity committed by Tel Aviv—not only since October 7 but for decades prior.
In response to this statement, the Venice Biennale declared: Throughout its history, the Venice Film Festival has always been a platform for free debate and sensitivity towards all pressing issues facing society and the world. This is most evident in the works presented [at the festival]. One such film is The Voice of Hind Rajab, a true drama by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, depicting the tragic killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024. The film will be showcased this year in the competitive section of Venice.
The Italian state news agency ANSA, in an article by Francesca Pirleoni, extensively covers the open letter sent by hundreds of filmmakers from Italy and around the world, many of whom will be showcasing their works at Lido under the banner of V4P (Venice for Palestine).
The 82nd Venice International Film Festival will be held from August 27 to September 6.