Palestine has once again become a prominent issue at the Venice Film Festival, with filmmakers, actors and activists continuing to show their support throughout the event.
About 1,000 figures from the film and culture industries have now backed an appeal from the Venice4Palestine collective, calling on organisers to take “concrete action in support of Palestine”.
The open letter, issued before the festival got under way on Wednesday, comes a year after the group made a similar appeal during the 2025 event.
“One year after its first appeal, Venice4Palestine is once again calling on the Venice Biennale, the Venice International Film Festival and professionals across the film, audiovisual and cultural sectors to take concrete action in support of Palestine,” the collective said.
Nobel Prize-winning writer Annie Ernaux, musician Roger Waters, film stars Guy Pearce and Indya Moore, and filmmaker Celine Sciamma are among those to sign the letter. The group is also calling for the Palestinian flag to be flown throughout the festival, alongside those representing other films in the official selection.
Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera has since said the request cannot be met because the Biennale is only permitted to fly flags of states officially recognised by Italy.
Two Palestinian films are being shown at Venice this year. Ahmed Hassouna’s Citizen Osama follows a photographer attempting to balance his responsibilities as a father and journalist while documenting life during the war in Gaza.
Muayad Alayan’s drama Conversation with the Sea, meanwhile, is set in Jerusalem and centres on a 60-year-old Palestinian man who becomes caught in a web of Israeli bureaucracy.
The letter also calls for greater transparency across the film industry and for agreements with bodies linked to the Israeli government to be suspended. Barbera said the festival’s position was reflected through its programming, while Venice4Palestine has since renewed its call for the Palestinian flag to be flown for the remainder of the event.
Palestinian flags arrive by sailboat
A sailboat flying the Palestinian flag arrived at the Venice Lido on Monday as part of the Global Sumud Italy initiative, days after festival organisers rejected calls for the flag to be flown at the event.
Activists gathered along the waterfront to welcome the vessel, waving flags and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans as it sailed into the lagoon.
Venice4Palestine said the action was intended as a symbolic show of support for Palestinian filmmakers and films featured at this year’s festival, noting that the flag was not being flown at the festival’s Cinema Palace.
Ramy Youssef and Hiam Abbass back Gaza Cinema Academy
Ramy Youssef and Hiam Abbass are among the celebrities backing the Gaza Cinema Academy, an initiative launched at the festival to support emerging Palestinian filmmakers.
Co-founded by Palestinian directors Ezzaldeen Shalh and Mai Masri, the academy aims to provide film education in Gaza and to help young filmmakers develop, produce and screen their work internationally.
Its supporters also include Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, and Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir and actor Saleh Bakri.
The academy formalises training already under way in Gaza, where a nine-month filmmaking diploma began in March with an inaugural group of 25 Palestinian women. Plans are also under way for a filmmaking degree to be accredited by Al Quds Open University.
“In Gaza, cinema is not merely an art form; it is a means of preserving memory, reclaiming our right to shape our own image and giving a new generation the tools to tell its own story,” Shalh said.
Susan Sarandon says she is still losing roles
Susan Sarandon says she is still losing film roles because of her outspoken support for Palestine.
Speaking at the festival while promoting her new film The Echo Chamber, the Oscar-winning actress said agencies were continuing to discourage filmmakers from hiring her.
“I’ve had movies taken away recently because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still,” she said.
Sarandon was dropped by talent agency UTA in 2023 following comments she made at a pro-Palestinian rally, and has previously said she felt shunned by Hollywood after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
However, Sarandon said she believed attitudes are changing, even if she continues to face resistance within the film industry.
“There has been a change in terms of the general public,” she said.
The Echo Chamber director Andrea Pallaoro was also warned against working with her, according to Sarandon. “I thank Andrea for that, because he doesn’t listen to the warnings,” she said.
Kaouther Ben Hania’s statement bag
The Voice of Hind Rajab director Kaouther Ben Hania, who is serving on this year’s competition jury, appeared to incorporate Palestinian symbolism into her red-carpet look.
The Tunisian filmmaker wore a sparkling gold gown while carrying a pale green rounded bag decorated with metallic olive branches.
The olive tree has long held significance in Palestinian culture, symbolising a connection to the land, as well as resilience and endurance.
Ben Hania has previously put Palestine at the centre of her work. Her 2025 film The Voice of Hind Rajab, which tells the story of the killing of the five-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza, had its premiere in Venice last year and received a lengthy standing ovation.
George Clooney backs Mark Ruffalo
George Clooney has spoken in support of Mark Ruffalo’s right to criticise the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger and the Ellison family’s links to Israel.
Ruffalo has become one of the most outspoken opponents of the proposed $111 billion deal. Last month, the Marvel actor criticised the merger and Oracle’s business ties with Israel. Paramount later accused him of invoking anti-Semitic tropes, a claim Ruffalo rejected.
More than 170 Jewish artists, academics and public figures later signed an open letter defending the actor and warning against attempts to silence criticism of Israel.
Speaking in Venice before receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, Clooney said he supported Ruffalo’s right to express his views, even if he did not necessarily agree with them. “I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely,” Clooney said. “I believe in free speech, even when I completely disagree with it. That’s important, right? In fact, it’s part of how a democracy works.
“I will always support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely. I like him. He’s a good man.”
Watermelon symbol
Support for Palestine was also visible during the lead-up to the festival.
Italian actress Greta Scarano appeared at a photocall on Tuesday carrying a large fan inspired by a watermelon – a symbol that has long been associated with Palestinian identity and resistance because its red, green, black and white colours mirror those of the Palestinian flag.
Scarano is among those to sign the Venice4Palestine appeal.
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