Actor Sveva Alviti, who hosted the opening ceremony of the 81st Venice Film Festival, and director Alberto Barbera react, in Venice, Italy, on August 27, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Yara Nardi

Alberto Barbera, director of the 81st Venice Film Festival currently taking place, responded to an open letter published last week that called on the iconic film festival not to screen two Israeli films because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

More than 300 film industry figures from around the world signed the open letter which focused its attention on “Why War” from director Amos Gitai and Dani Rosenberg’s Hebrew-language film “Al Klavim Veanashim” (“Of Dogs and Men”). In the letter, which was published by Artists for Palestine Italia on the opening of the Venice Film Festival, the signatories claimed that the two films were created by Israeli production companies “complicit in whitewashing Israel’s oppression against Palestinians” in Gaza. The filmmakers, actors, and other film industry members condemned the Venice Film Festival for its “unacceptable” and “immoral” decision to showcase the films, and expressed outrage regarding the festival’s “silence” about “Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinian people.”

“Al Klavim Veanashim” will screen at the Venice Film Festival later this week in the Orizzonti competition and “Why War” made its world premiere on Saturday out of competition.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Barbera started off by saying that like other major international film festivals, the Venice Film Festival is staying neutral when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war.

“Have you seen any major film festival ‘take a side’ in this conflict?” he asked. “We are a space open to everyone and to people with different political views. We show films that highlight different views on all sorts of issues. I don’t want to take sides and I can’t make such public statements for the festival in my role as festival director.”

Barbera was then asked to comment on those who believe there is a lack of support, particularly in Hollywood, for the plight of Palestinians living in Gaza during the current war that started in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 in southern Israel.

“I think we’ve seen many Pro-Palestinian demonstrations all over the world, but hardly any for the hostages,” he responded. “We must not forget the [Oct. 7] massacre that took place which sparked this conflict. Of course, I understand filmmakers signing a petition in support of Palestinians and the awful, painful position of the population there, especially the children. It’s hard to even think about it.”

“What [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is doing in Gaza is a war crime, and so was October 7,” he added. “But we wouldn’t ever withdraw a film on ideological grounds. The films that were asked to be withdrawn by the 300 filmmakers are not anti-Palestinian films in any way, quite the opposite.”

Gitai, the director of “Why War,” said on Saturday that his anti-war film did not receive funding from the Israeli government and although it focuses on war, it examines the topic from a general perspective and does not mention “the intoxicated Israeli-Palestinian relationship.”

The 81st Venice Film Festival runs from Aug. 28-Sept. 7.