Venice Film Festival To Retain Jury Press Conference After Scrapping Rumours Spur Backlash

The Venice International Film Festival will be going ahead with its regular opening jury press conference, reversing its earlier decision of skipping it over scheduling conflicts. It was widely rumoured that political heat was instead the actual reason behind the possible scrapping.

An open letter from the group Venice4Palestine, backed by over 200 signatures ncluding Guy Pearce, Céline Sciamma, Alia Shawkat and Palestinian directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser, has urged the festival to be more vocal in supporting Palestine.

Venice4Palestine's Appeals

The letter also contains demands for “transparency in all phases of the supply chain, suspending any agreement with bodies and institutions linked to the Israeli government” and the creation of “a protection structure that defends workers in the sector from the professional risks of a concrete commitment against genocide.”

The festival denied that the initial decision to do away with a jury press conference was triggered by political pressures, instead insisting it was a matter of a “scheduling conflict” —something that suddenly seems to have been solved.

The team behind the Oscar-winning No Other Land is launching another Gaza-set doc, Naza, which will debut in competition at the festival.

Film Festivals Under Political Heat

Last year's jury press conference spurred heavy backlash after Alexander Payne, serving as jury president, opted not to answer a Gaza-related question.

“Quite frankly, I feel a little bit unprepared for that question. I’m here to judge and talk about cinema,” Payne said at the time. “My political views, I’m sure, are in agreement with many of yours. But as far as my relationship with the festival and what the industry does, I have to think about that for a while to give you a measured response.”

Similar controversy shrouded a panel at the Berlinale in February, when legendary filmmaker and jury president Wim Wenders argued that filmmakers “have to stay out of politics” and that “we have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians,” responding to a question noting the German government’s “support” of Israel through its war with Gaza and asking the jury if they “support this selective treatment of human rights.” Berlinale even released a statement later in support of the jury in the face of extreme backlash to Wenders’ tone-deaf comments.

The Venice Film Festival will run September 2 – 12, 2026.