Venice Film Festival: "No Other Land" Team Shows New Film About Gaza

The appearance in Venice is seen as a direct response to the protests and the jury's resignation at the art exhibition. The film team wanted to use their new work to show what is actually happening in Gaza beyond the debates about pavilions and protests. Reports by the Guardian and the Israeli online newspaper Local Call, which had previously reported extensively on the filming, formed the basis for the research.

Background: Controversies Surrounding the Biennale

"No Other Land" had already won the Oscar for Best Documentary this year. The film was made over several years and documents the displacement of Palestinian families in the Masafer Yatta region by Israeli authorities. With the new project, the filmmakers continue this documentary approach, now focusing on Gaza City and the lives of the people there.

The filmmakers emphasized during the screening that they worked together as an Israeli-Palestinian team and wanted to make both sides of the conflict visible in their work. They see the film as a continuation of their previous work, in which they try to maintain personal relationships across political dividing lines. Filming had taken place under extremely difficult conditions, it was said.

The Film Team and Their Working Methods

International media representatives were present at the presentation in Venice, including journalists who had previously reported on the Oscar success. The audience's reaction was described by those present as quiet and attentive. There were no incidents during the screening.

The organizers of the film festival stated that the selection had been made independently of the controversies surrounding the art exhibition. The festival environment said the aim was to send a signal for the freedom of artistic work through the program.

According to the makers, the new film does not yet have a final title and is still in post-production. No specific release date was given. The filmmakers wanted to show the film at other international festivals first before a wider release was discussed.

Reactions and Outlook

In discussions on the sidelines of the screening, the filmmakers referred to reports by Local Call and other Israeli media that have been covering life in Gaza for months. This journalistic work had formed the basis for the scripts and the selection of interview partners, the team explained.

Observers interpreted the appearance as a political signal within an already tense festival environment. While the art exhibition suffered from the jury's resignation and the absence of the Golden Lions, the film festival tried to refocus more strongly on cinematic works.

Critics praised the fact that the project shows the conflict from a personal, documentary perspective rather than orienting itself toward propagandistic narratives. Others warned that any artistic engagement with the topic of Gaza is currently inevitably charged with political significance. The team itself described its approach as humanistic and independent.