The group Venice4Palestine (V4P), a collective of film professionals, journalists, and activists, has issued a new letter to the Venice Biennale and its Film Festival demanding the withdrawal of invitations to actors Gerard Butler, Gal Gadot, and any other artist or celebrity who publicly and actively supports “the genocide.” Instead, the group requests that a delegation of theirs be given space to walk the red carpet with the Palestinian flag.
This demand follows an initial open letter sent on August 22nd, which called for the Biennale to issue a clear condemnation of the “ongoing genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing across Palestine at the hands of the Israeli government and military.” The Biennale’s press office responded by stating that the institution has historically been “a place of open and sensitive discussion on all the most urgent issues in society and the world.”
Venice4Palestine has welcomed this stated openness, urging the festival to give a platform to “well-known Palestinian artists” during the opening ceremony to provide “direct testimony.” The group also expressed support for the “Stop the Genocide – Free Palestine” demonstration scheduled for August 30th on the Lido and hopes the Biennale will facilitate the event.
Furthermore, the letter calls on the Biennale to take a clear stance and to end partnerships with any organization that supports the Israeli government, either directly or indirectly.
While V4P noted encouraging and solidarity-driven responses from other festival sections, it expressed disappointment with the Biennale’s official reply, which it says did not engage with the substance of their concerns. The group emphasized that their first letter gathered over 1,500 signatures in just a few days, including from prominent figures such as directors Marco Bellocchio, Abel Ferrara, and the Rohrwacher sisters, as well as numerous film circles, festivals, unions, and cultural associations.
The official communication from the Biennale, the group observes, “still chooses not to mention Palestine and the ongoing genocide, let alone the State of Israel that is perpetrating it.” V4P questions how the festival can simultaneously showcase a film like Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab” while honoring figures like Butler and Gadot, who are stated to “ideologically and materially support Israel’s political and military conduct.”