Venice 2026; the world’s oldest film festival under the shadow of politics and global crises

🔸Four days after the start of the 83rd Venice Film Festival—a period in which Hollywood’s presence is also lighter—the politics and daily crises of the world have become one of the main themes of this important film event; from the war in Gaza and Ukraine to artificial intelligence, the power of the media, and social crises.

🔸The Venice Film Festival, which is referred to as the oldest cinema event in the world, began on 11 Shahrivar and will continue until 21 Shahrivar, and this year 21 films are competing in its main competition section.

🔸Alberto Barbera, the festival director, said that the crisis in the American film industry and the rise in production costs have led major film studios to make fewer films and act more cautiously. In this way, Venice this year has given more space than in some recent editions to independent cinema and works about issues facing the world today.

🔸The war in Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, immigration, climate change, and a democracy crisis are among the topics reflected in the films of this edition. Four films related to Israel and Gaza are included in the festival program, and politics has had a visible presence not only on screen, but also in the filmmakers’ remarks and the remarks of the figures present in Venice.

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.