How Political Will the Venice Film Festival Be?

Gaza and Ukraine are already shaping the conversation around this year’s Venice Film Festival. The festival begins on Wednesday, with the flags of participating countries flying above the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido. The Venice4Palestine initiative is calling for the Palestinian flag to be added to them.

But the festival faces another prominent controversy: only one film by a woman director is included in the competition. The article describes the gender balance as shameful and notes that Berlin and Cannes made considerably greater efforts toward parity this year.

Criticism followed immediately after the program was presented in July. It has done little to unsettle longtime festival director Alberto Barbera, whose contract was recently extended through 2028.

Despite the political questions surrounding the event and the criticism over representation, the program itself is presented as offering a number of interesting films. The festival therefore opens with two disputes already dominating discussion, alongside the promise of a strong cinematic lineup.