The 82nd Venice Film Festivalwhich is being held this year, it has a more intense political tone, as wars continue in both Russia and in Ukraine and in Gauze from Israel.
Thus, a large number of protesters marched to denounce Israel’s violence in Gaza, with people reaching the entrance of the Venice Film Festival, where there was a strong police presence.
In the demonstration there were many placards with slogans calling for a boycott of Israel and “ending the genocide” between numerous Palestinian flags, while many were shouting the slogan “freedom in Palestine”.
“The entertainment industry has the advantage of having a large audience, so it will have to take a stand for Gaza,” said Marco Tsotola, a 31 -year -old computer engineer who was involved in the course of a call of leftist organizations. “I’m not saying that everyone should talk about ‘genocide’, but at least everyone has to take a stand because it’s not a political issue, it’s a matter of humanity,” he added.
“We all know what’s going on and this cannot continue,” Claudia Poji, a professor in the profession, said holding a Palestinian flag.
There are also a few artists who have given their political mark and support to the Palestinians in recent days at the Venice Film Festival, including Moroccan director Mariam Tuzani and her husband, director Nabil, On the evening of Friday 29.08.2025.
One day earlier and Greek director George Lanthimos wore a Palestinian pin At the press conference for the feature film “Bugonia”.
The Film Festival began with a call from a collective compared to ten independent Italian filmmakers, named Venice4palestine (V4P), to condemn the war in the Gaza Strip, which began after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on October 7.
“The aim of the appeal is to put Gaza and Palestine at the center of public attention in Venice, and that is exactly what happened,” Fabiomaki Loti, one of the founders of the collective, told the French agency.
“We are amazed at the number of reactions,” he added, stressing that 2,000 people signed the text of the appeal, including major names of international cinema such as Guillermo Del Toro, Todd Field, Michael Moore and Ken Louch.
The director of the Festival, Alberto Barbera, responded on the day of the festival, stating that “the Biennale avoids taking immediate political positions”, while noting that it is sensitive to the dramatic situation in Gaza.
However, he refused not to invite some artists on the grounds that they were active supporters of Israel. The V4P, for example, had named Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler in the cast of the movie “In the Hand of Dante”, whose presence has not yet been confirmed.
On Wednesday, the festival will feature the film “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, directed by French -Town Cut Ben Hania. The film tells the story of a little girl who was killed on January 29, 2024 in Gaza along with many members of her family while trying to escape Israeli bombings.
The recordings of Hid Rajab’s telephone call to emergency services used in the film shocked the world when they were revealed.