Venice Film Festival Cancels Jury Press Conference This Year

The organizers justified the move with the desire to protect the jury members and to focus attention on the films. With the conference being cancelled, one of the most-watched media stages of the festival weeks disappears — the stage where traditionally prize winners and jury presidents traditionally speak with reporters.

Beteiligte und Jury

At the head of the jury this year stands the US director Alexander Payne. Seated alongside him are, among others, Kaouther Ben Hania as well as other film professionals whose names the festival had already released in advance. Given the heightened mood surrounding the Gaza conflict and the expected questions, the festival had apparently chosen a different path.

The specific reasons for the cancellation in detail and whether a written statement will be issued instead remained initially unclear. Nor was a date announced at which the jury might answer questions elsewhere.

Reactions in the international film press were muted. Observers interpreted the decision as an attempt to avoid a continuation of the heated debates of previous editions. Other voices saw it as a restriction of press freedom.

Reactions from the Film Press

Festivities around the awards ceremony are not affected by the decision. Screenings in the competition continue, as do the program sections on the Lido. Prizes will be awarded on the closing weekend as planned.

The festival had recently emphasized, also with regard to comparable editions in Cannes and Berlin, that it wanted to put the artistic competition in the foreground. The president of the Mostra, Alberto Barbera, had repeatedly advocated in earlier years for a stronger separation of politics and jury work.

For the current edition, the cancellation means that statements on the jury's main task — the assessment of the submitted feature films — must get by this year without a public press conference. Press reports will therefore rely more heavily on official communications and on interviews on the sidelines of the screenings.

Impact on the Program

How great the pressure was that led to the decision cannot be inferred from the communications made so far. The festival referred in a brief statement to the protection of the jury and the desire for concentration on the program.

The jury itself has not publicly commented since the announcement. Alexander Payne also did not initially comment on the cancellation.

Festivals in international comparison show that the handling of political questions at jury press conferences has been dealt with differently for years. While some editions deliberately refrain from political statements, others specifically seek the exchange.

With the press conference being cancelled, the red carpet on the Lido gains even more significance for photographers, since statements can still be captured there. Short interviews before the premieres also remain possible.