Alia Shawkat, Guy Pearce and Over 200 More Sign Open Letter to ‘Put Palestine in the Spotlight’ at Venice Film Festival

A coalition of filmmakers and artists have composed an open letter to the Venice International Film Festival, urging it to adopt a more outspoken stance in support of Palestine during its September 2-12 event. The group, referred to as Venice4Palestine, has garnered over 200 signatures for the missive titled "Yet Gaza Continues to Burn."

The letter begins by noting that a year prior, the appeal prompted thousands to join in supporting Palestine and highlighting the Palestinian resistance. The writers ask both the Biennale and Mostra to clearly declare their position and for film professionals to express solidarity; however, the emergence of "The Voice of Hind Rajab" at the festival seemed to overshadow these objectives, evoking a collective sense of outrage and sorrow.

This documentary, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, premiered at the festival in 2025 and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film. On August 21, Ben Hania voiced her opinion on Israel's decision to probe the murder of a five-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, whom her documentary portrays, calling it a "smokescreen."

Ben Hania will also serve as one of the jurors for this year's festival. This year, the Venice International Film Festival will showcase two Palestinian films: "Al Mowaten Osama" ("Citizen Osama"), directed by Ahmed Hassouna, and "Hiwar ma' albahr" ("Conversation With the Sea"), directed by Muayad Alayan. Additionally, the festival will feature a Gaza-set documentary, "Naza," directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which will be the only documentary competing for the coveted Golden Lion.

The letter's 200-plus signatories include actors Alia Shawkat and Guy Pearce, filmmaker Céline Sciamma, Nobel Prize-winning writer Annie Ernaux, Palestinian directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser, and actress Indya Moore, who starred in last year's Golden Lion winner, "Father Mother Sister Brother." The letter also calls for transparency in all stages of the supply chain, a suspension of any partnerships with entities connected to the Israeli government, and the establishment of a protective framework for workers in the film industry who commit to action against genocide. The Venice Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 2 to September 12.