Gaza protests intensify ahead of the Venice Film Festival opening

It's going to be a long time in Venice, with stars arriving, demonstrations for Palestine, and hundreds of films amid controversy. On the Lido, the editors work tirelessly and with some anxiety; crates of Prosecco, produced 60 kilometers away, are unloaded a few meters from the red carpet. "It'll take a lot of them to survive," joke two hostesses, ready to face the usual motley invasion: from George Clooney, who arrived early from his villa on Lake Como, to the young fans (it's not entirely clear whose) who are settling in front of the red carpet just in case. "Kim Kardashian will be coming too," was the latest rumor circulating last night. On the beach, in front of the neo-Byzantine domes of the Excelsior Hotel, Venetians still predominate, at risk of yet another extinction, this time temporarily.

The energy is already there: the 82nd edition of the Mostra de Cine opens today with the work of Paolo Sorrentino, the most established Italian director abroad, who brings it to Lido La Grazia , achieving the feat of keeping even the smallest details of the plot secret. A rumor, in fact, is spreading: the story would center on a president of the Republic at the end of his term (the Neapolitan actor Toni Servillo) who faces moral dilemmas when he must decide on two requests for pardon, one of the powers of Italian heads of state.

Bellocchio and Ken Loach call for the exclusion of actors close to Israel, such as 'Wonder Woman' Gal Gadot.

But the day before was marked by international politics. A letter signed by dozens of film figures stirred the atmosphere by demanding that the Biennale take a clear stance on Gaza. The artists—including Marco Bellocchio, Ken Loach, and Roger Waters—are asking to exclude Israeli actress Gal Gadot ( Wonder Woman ) and British artist Gerard Butler from the cast of Julian Schnabel's In the Hand of Dante , "along with any celebrity who actively supports genocide." There have been no recent statements of support for the Israeli army or Benjamin Netanyahu's government, but neither have any gestures toward the Palestinian victims. The Biennale appears unwilling to give in to the request, but the matter could be resolved by the interested parties themselves, who should not be presenting in Venice. In any case, the Palestinian issue will also dominate the coming days: a demonstration in support of the people of Gaza is planned for Saturday, while next week's competition will feature Voice of Hind Rajab, by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, which tells the story of the call received by Red Crescent volunteers from a five-year-old girl trapped in Gaza in a car with her uncles and cousins, who were killed while trying to escape during an Israeli attack.

As a preview, Origin, the Venetian Lagoon, by French documentary filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a world-renowned documentary filmmaker, was presented yesterday. A half-hour of beautiful and haunting images, an extended version of the short film that opens the Natural Intelligence section of the 2025 Architecture Biennale, directed by urban planner Carlo Ratti.

Also a major protagonist is German filmmaker Werner Herzog, author of masterpieces such as Fitzcarraldo , who will be awarded the first of the two Golden Lions for the 2025 race (the other will go to Kim Novak).

The prosecco, meanwhile, can now be uncorked.