How are we possibly here talking about movies right now when the world is in a state of emergency? I guess it's just finally become clear that men make better movies than women.
Good morning everyone. Well, here I am. Good morning everyone. Ah, sorry Paolo. Go ahead. Welcome to the opening press conference and presentation of the juries of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. A big thank you first of all from the Venice Biennale to the press, to all the accredited press in the room and those following us from afar, for everyone who is here. As always, our press office is at your disposal to help you. But let's start immediately and I give the floor to the artistic director of the festival, Alberto Barbera.
Good morning. Good morning everyone, welcome. Welcome to everybody. I wanted to make a joke about this press conference, but Paolo Lughi forbade me from doing it, so I won't. Anyway, we're here and I obviously count on your sense of humor. So, the presentation of the juries: we have at the table the presidents of the four juries. The Horizons jury is missing because they will only arrive in a couple of days. We will have the opportunity to meet them anyway at a dedicated press conference. In the front row are all the members of the juries. There wasn't room for everyone at the table because there are many of them. I'll introduce them quickly, well, many of you know them. Maggie Gyllenhaal, whom I thank very much for accepting our invitation.
Cutter Benagna, who returns after the success of his film last year in competition. Cutter. Daniel Blomberg, who has been to Venice many times, is the musician who scored The Brutalist, who scored Gianfranco Rosi's films, and he told me, I didn't remember, that he was here with his first short film. Daniel. Francesco Casetti, who is a great friend of mine for a long time, professor emeritus, university professor. Xavier Giannoli needs no introduction, he too has been to Venice many times. Sharbanou Sadat, who opened the Berlin Festival with her film, and again an old friend of the festival, Johnny from Hong Kong.
The Horizons jury is composed of Valeria Golino, who is here, Golino, who is here next to me. She was also in competition in Venice last year, you will remember, with a beautiful film. Peter Becker, first time in Venice, stand up Peter, founder of Criterion, a great cinephile, an extraordinary film enthusiast. Elisabeth Lo, she was also in Horizons last year, it's a welcome return. David Pablos from Mexico, who won with his last film the award for best first work in Horizons last year. And finally Barbara Ronchi, who all Italians know very well, a great actress, many times in Venice.
The first feature film jury is smaller. There are only three people. Carolina Cavalli, whom you know very well, won an award in Horizons last year. Achinola Davis Jor, who made a beautiful first film that we would have liked to have in Venice last year, but Cannes snatched it from us. And if you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you see it because it's truly wonderful. And another great friend, Ted Hope, who was a great producer, has been to Venice many times with films he produced, first as an independent producer, then as a producer for Amazon.
The last jury represented here on stage is that of Venice Classics. I was pointed out that Venice is the only festival that has an award reserved for restored films. Many, many festivals have sections dedicated to restorations, but no festival has decided to have even a jury that, as you know, is composed in this case of 24, if I'm not mistaken, 23 students, recent graduates or graduates from various Italian universities who will award a prize for the best restored film. To guide them in this difficult work will be a director we know very well, a friend, Daniele Vicari, whom I thank for accepting this role.
So, questions? If there are any, raise your hand, you'll get a microphone and we are ready to answer. So, two questions right away, one in the front row and one in the middle. Please.
Hello, good morning. Marco Consoli, La Stampa Daily Italy. I have a question for Mrs. Gyllenhaal and for any other member of the main jury that wants to answer this question. You told the New York Times some time ago that you became a director the day that Trump was elected and that philosophy also inspired your extraordinary film The Bride. This year's Venice Festival features films about Gaza, about the Russian-Ukrainian war, the ever-widening gap between the super rich and the poor, and other relevant issues in this dramatic moment we are living. I'd like to know if you think cinema should be political, especially now, and also do you view the state of the American industry with respect to this role of cinema at a time when studios, actors, and directors increasingly seem to be distancing themselves from any overt political commentary and controversy? Thank you so much.
I will speak more to this tonight. But I guess I believe, look, we could say how are we possibly here talking about movies right now when the world is in a state of emergency? To me, the answer has something to do with empathy. I think that film allows an opening of empathy inside ourselves. I don't believe there is any filmmaker that shouldn't be. I think we can challenge ourselves to hear stories about the most corrupt, the most perverse people because it offers the opportunity to find empathy for those people and even to look at the ways in which we might have a little bad guy in us, a little perversity inside us, a little corruption inside us, fight it as we might. So, I don't know that I've answered every aspect of that question, but I am here, open, I'm here, curious. I think that if movies really are an honest look into other people's experience, that they are fundamentally unifying.
Thank you, thank you. Well, there's the second question over there.
By the way, two films by women. We add one more film, you know, directed by women, Israeli women. Sorry about that. I will answer you seriously and say that there's a systemic problem. Obviously, I do think it's much harder for women to get their films financed. Also, could it be possible that the things that women, having had a different experience of being alive in the world, want to make movies about are not always deemed high art? Who decides what's good? Who decides what's valuable? I will also say, sitting next to one of the people who makes that decision, that I am on a panel here with many women and have also on my jury incredible female filmmakers.
Thank you. Please. There are two more questions here on our right.
Good morning. I'll ask it in Italian because it's also for the other jury members, but it's also for me. You are mostly directors, so what does it mean as a director to judge another director's work? We know the film isn't made only by the director, but we identify it a lot, at least we Europeans, with the director's work. So what does it mean to judge another director's work? You were here 5 years ago with your film in competition, so being on the other side, what does it mean for you? And then a bit related to the same question the colleague asked. For 10 days we are in this bubble with you, of cinema, screenings, meetings, but the world outside continues to exist. So how to find a balance between, the world that is out there and judging the themes that the director mentioned many times, which are themes of almost all films, of great relevance, even historical ones. Thank you. Sorry, it's two questions.
Well, let's say that... Thank you. Maybe in English. Yeah, I don't know. Well, the good thing about being part of a jury at a festival is that you don't have to give an award for a bad film. You have to give an award for the best film. So you can just focus on the positive. And so yes, it's, I mean, it's an opportunity to see also new, like new films that maybe wouldn't be possible all the time, especially like in Italy, not all of them get distribution. So of course, like, you can see like slices of world and experience that maybe you cannot get at the traditional movie theater. So I think it's, yeah, it's a great, great possibility. I don't know if that was the question, but and regarding the balance, I think there is no balance. I mean, I don't know, I struggle very much in finding a balance like everyone, I guess. Thank you.
There was another... someone else give a response to the question or is it okay for you?
Do you think there is that sort of issue that female directors would be interested in making films about are institutionally devalued or less likely to be considered high art, and do you think that this is a problem that needs to be addressed in a systemic way?
