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DUBAI: Hundreds of filmmakers and cultural figures have rallied behind an open letter demanding the Venice Film Festival break its silence on Gaza, calling on it to take a “clear and unambiguous stand” against what they denounce as genocide and ethnic cleansing.

The appeal, organized under the banner of Venice4Palestine, was sent to the Venice film festival umbrella organization, the Biennale di Venezia, on Friday.

In the letter, the group accuses the Israeli government and military of carrying out genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing across Palestine. It urges the festival to avoid becoming “a sad and empty showcase” by providing instead “a place of dialogue, active participation and resistance, as it has been in the past.”

Signatories include British filmmaker Ken Loach, Italian actor Toni Servillo (star of 2025 Venice opener, “La Grazia” from Paolo Sorrentino), Italian actress and director siblings Alba and Alice Rohrwacher, actress Jasmine Trinca, French directors Celine Sciamma and Audrey Diwan, British actor Charles Dance, and Palestinian directorial duo Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser, who won best director in Cannes Un Certain Regard this year for their latest film, “Once Upon A Time In Gaza.”

The letter references the deaths of nearly 250 Palestinian media workers since the start of the conflict and stresses that cultural institutions cannot remain detached.

“As the spotlight turns on the Venice Film Festival, we’re in danger of going through yet another major event that remains indifferent to this human, civil, and political tragedy,” it reads. “‘The show must go on,’ we are told, as we’re urged to look away — as if the ‘film world’ had nothing to do with the ‘real world.’

“For once, the show must stop. We must interrupt the flow of indifference and open a path to awareness.” It concludes: “There is no cinema without humanity.”

In response, the Biennale said the festival “has always been, throughout their history, places of open discussion and sensitivity to all the most pressing issues facing society and the world.”

It pointed to works in the lineup such as “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s competition entry about the killing of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza in 2024.

DUBAI: Palestinian filmmaker and writer Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36” has been selected as Palestine’s official submission for the Oscars’ international feature film category.

Set in 1930s Palestine, the drama explores the lives of individuals during the uprising against British colonial rule. Against a backdrop of sweeping change, the film delves into themes of identity, resistance and transformation.

The story follows Yusuf (Karim Daoud Anaya), a young man caught between his rural village and the rapidly changing city of Jerusalem; Afra (Wardi Eilabouni), a girl navigating an uncertain world with the guidance of her grandmother (Hiam Abbass); and a port worker (Saleh Bakri), who finds himself drawn into an emerging uprising. A British official, portrayed by Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons, attempts to maintain order as tensions rise.

The cast also features “Game of Thrones” star Liam Cunningham, Tunisian actor Dhafer L’Abidine, and Palestinian talents Yasmine Al-Massri and Kamel El-Basha.

“Palestine 36” was selected as Palestine’s Oscar entry by an independent committee of Palestinian film professionals in a move officially confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture.

The film received partial funding from ��������’s Red Sea Fund, and Qatar-based Katara Studios. Watermelon Pictures has acquired distribution rights to the film.

Featuring rare archival footage of 1930s Palestine, “Palestine 36” is set to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 5, where it will become the first Arab film to screen in the festival’s prestigious Gala section.

Jacir, who has been working on “Palestine 36” since before the pandemic, is known for her focus on Palestinian narratives. Her previous films include “Salt of This Sea” (2008), “When I Saw You” (2012), and “Wajib” (2017), all of which received critical acclaim and represented Palestine at the Academy Awards. “Palestine 36” is her fourth film to be submitted by Palestine for Oscar consideration.

It is the 18th film to be submitted by Palestine since it began participating in the international feature category. To date, the country has received two nominations in the category, both for films directed by Hany Abu-Assad: “Paradise Now” in 2006 and “Omar” in 2014.

The Oscars’ international feature shortlist will be announced on Dec. 16, with final nominations revealed on Jan. 22.