The Venice Film Festival is likely to forgo its customary opening jury press conference this year due to scheduling constraints. The prestigious event, set to commence on September 2 with Danny Boyle’s “Ink” as its opening film, will substitute the traditional conference with a cocktail reception for members of the media instead.
The decision comes amid mounting political activism surrounding this year’s festival. Notable figures including Nobel Prize-winning author Annie Ernaux and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters have signed an open letter calling on the Venice Biennale to take action supporting Palestine. This follows similar campaigns from the Venice4Palestine collective, which previously targeted the festival over invitations extended to actors perceived as supportive of Israel.
The cancellation carries particular significance given last year’s jury press conference, which became contentious when jury president Alexander Payne expressed feeling unprepared to address questions about Gaza. Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera has characterized this year’s lineup as the “most political” in recent years, featuring films addressing conflict, Palestinian issues, immigration, climate change and civil liberties. The competition jury, chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal, includes filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, whose acclaimed documentary about a Palestinian child killed in Gaza won major recognition at last year’s festival.
Originally reported by Variety →
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