Venice film fest jury president Alexander Payne dodged commenting on Gaza
The Venice fest has been embroiled in debates and pressure for its noncommittal stance on the genocide
Payne's evasion has led to immense backlash on social media
The Gaza genocide assumed center-stage at the Venice film festival jury press conference, but Oscar-winning director Alexander Payne skirted the question. Payne, who was last at the festival in 2017 with Downsizing, has returned to serve as jury president.
Payne was asked to reflect how the jury will approach “what’s happening in the world”, with the horrors of Ukraine and Gaza. A more direct question was posed, “What are your thoughts on Gaza?”
“Quite frankly, I feel a little bit unprepared for that question,” Payne dodged. “I’m here to judge and talk about cinema. 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.”
Quickly, Venice chief Alberto Barbera stepped in, elucidating the festival hasn’t hesitated in condemning the immense carnage in Palestine. He added the festival is always open to dialogue and everyone welcome. Few hours before the conference, two dozen pro-Palestine activists raised a “Stop the Genocide” banner.
Ahead of the festival, Venice organizers were called on by hundreds of international filmmakers and artists to take an unambiguous stance on the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. They were also called to disinvite Gal Gadot, who stars in Julian Schnabel’s drama In the Hand of Dante and has consistently held onto a pro-Israel stance. Earlier this week, Barbera confirmed Gadot is skipping the festival.
At the just-concluded Locarno Film Festival, Payne was bestowed with the honorary Pardo d’Onore. Joining the Sideways and The Holdovers director on the Venice jury are Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres (an Oscar nominee for I’m Still Here), Iranian auteur Mohammad Rasoulof (The Seed of the Sacred Fig), Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), French director Stéphane Brizé (Out of Season), Italian director Maura Delpero (Vermiglio) and Chinese actor-producer Zhao Tao (Caught by the Tides).
