Political and gender scrutiny at Venice Film Festival

The Venice4Palestine collective issued an appeal ahead of the 2026 Venice International Film Festival, requesting the visible display of the Palestinian flag to coincide with the screening of two Palestinian films, ‘Al Mowaten Osama’ and ‘Hiwar ma’ albahr’. The group also demanded transparency regarding the film industry’s supply chain, including funding and institutional relationships, and called for a boycott of entities linked to the Israeli government.

Following backlash from industry figures and the collective, the Venice International Film Festival reversed its decision to cancel the traditional jury press conference. While the festival initially cited a ‘scheduling conflict’ for the omission, critics expressed concerns that the cancellation was an attempt to avoid politically charged questions. The jury, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal, will proceed with the reinstated conference on the festival’s opening day.

In addition to political tensions, the 83rd edition is facing scrutiny regarding gender representation. Out of 21 films in the main competition, only two are directed by women, including ‘Woman Unknown’ by Mai El-Touki. This represents a decline from the previous year, when approximately 29% of competition films were directed by women. Meanwhile, the political pressure continues as approximately 200 cultural figures, including Roger Waters, have called for the Palestinian flag to be flown at the Lido alongside other participating nations.