Venice (Italy) (AFP) - The eighty-third session of the Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday by honoring the star George Clooney, who used to participate in the activities of the oldest film festival in the world and was criticized this year due to the limited participation of women in its official competition.

Published on: 02/09/2026 - 19:55 Last updated: 02/09/2026 - 21:18

Clooney (65 years old) took advantage of his attendance to harshly criticize the American government, considering that it is run by "the least competent people."

The American star, who is considered one of the few Hollywood actors in this year's edition that gave the lion's share to independent films, said that he has "great affection" for the Mostra, which honored him on its opening evening with an award for his entire long career as an actor, director and producer.

“We live in an era where the people who rule us and have the most money tell us to be afraid of each other,” he said after receiving the honorary Golden Lion award.

Clooney, who holds French citizenship, referred to a "series of happy events" that allowed him to achieve stardom, despite his late entry into acting and the beginning of television.

The eighty-third session of the festival was not free from criticism, especially due to the lack of female directors participating in the official competition.

Of the twenty-one films competing this year for the Golden Lion Award, only two films were signed by a woman, one of them in partnership with a director who was added at a late stage to the official program.

The head of the jury, American actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal, said, “I think it has become clear that men make better films than women,” after the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera, had justifiedly indicated in July that the quality of films presented to the committee by female directors did not allow them to be included in the official program.

Maggie Gyllenhaal added during a press conference alongside Alberto Barbera, “There is no doubt that the problem is widespread. I do think that it is much more difficult for women to obtain financing for their films.”

Although the oldest film festival in the world, which paves the way for the Oscars, lacks hit works in the 2026 session, many of its films are dedicated to well-known figures such as Elon Musk and Renzo Rosso, founder of the “Diesel” brand, in the first Italian feature-length work made entirely by artificial intelligence, as well as the two Gallagher brothers from the band “Oasis.”

At the opening of the festival on Wednesday evening, the film “Ink” by British director Danny Boyle, about the path of the British newspaper “The Sun” and its owner Rupert Murdoch, was screened.

The Palestinian issue

The Venice Festival, which continues until September 12, presents a wide range of independent productions. The only documentary participating in the official competition is “Naza” by Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Tzur, which reveals “the mechanisms behind the planned massacre committed by Israel against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”

Other documentaries about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be screened outside the competition, such as “Citizen Osama,” about a photojournalist in Gaza, and “The Road to Jericho” by Israeli Amos Gitai.

The artistic director of the Mostra, Alberto Barbera, said Tuesday in statements to Agence France-Presse, “At least four films touch on the Palestinian issue and the current situation in Iran. There is no doubt about our position,” after the festival last year was criticized for its lack of support for the Palestinian cause.

Controversy in Ukraine

In addition to criticism due to the lack of participation of women, with the exception of Israeli Rachel Tzur and Danish-Egyptian Mai Al-Toukhi, the festival's selection of the film "Dow" directed by Ilya Kharzhanovsky was condemned.

This film, dedicated to Lev Landau, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and considered the father of the Soviet nuclear bomb, was marred by a scandal over filming conditions that were considered offensive, especially to actresses, between 2008 and 2011 in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture condemned this action, considering it linked to Russian interests and oligarchs. As for Mostra, she defended her choice, recalling that the film's director lives in exile, has renounced his Russian citizenship, and is known for his fierce opposition to Vladimir Putin.

French and Italian works

Despite the absence of hit Hollywood films, as was the case at the Berlin and Cannes festivals, the documentary “Don’t Look Back in Anger” produced by Disney will be presented outside of competition.

The film recalls last year's reunion tour by the British pop band Oasis. Sibling band members Liam and Noel Gallagher will attend the show on Saturday evening.

The Mostra devotes a large space to French films, four of which are feature-length works in the official competition.

The same applies to Italian productions, five of which are competing for the Golden Lion.

© 2026 AFP

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