Alexander Payne Dodz, the Gaza conversation at the jury conference in Venice

The ongoing war in Gaza was the main topic of the conversation at the festival’s press conference in the cinematic Venice for this year, although director Alexander Payne chose not to present his view on this topic.

“Frankly, I feel that I am somewhat ready for this question,” said Payne, head of the jury in the competition, when asked about his personal position on the humanitarian crisis. “I am here to judge and talk about cinema. My political views, I’m sure, agree with many of you.”

Payne pointed out that the questions about the festival’s position on Gaza-which three of them were asked during the 20-minute conversation-will be better directed to the President of the Vereteo Alberto Barbira. Before the festival, the organizers of Venice were urged by hundreds of international filmmakers and artists to take a “clear and unambiguous position [to] The condemnation of the continuous collective genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing through Palestine is implemented by the Israeli government and the army. “They were also summoned to the Gal Gadot and Jerrard Petrler, both of whom were star in the Drama of Julian Shenabel” in Dante’s hands “and showed general support for Israel.

“We have been asked to refuse to invite the artists,” Barbira said. “If they want to be at the festival, they will be here. On the other hand, we have never hesitated to declare our great sorrow and our suffering clearly with what is happening in Gaza and Palestine.

Payne, the director who nominated the Academy Award “The Holdoves” and “Sideways”, heads the jury for this year and will judge films in the competition alongside the Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres (an Oscar candidate for the movie “I am still here”) days), French director Stephen Breeze (“Out of the Season”), Italian director Mora Dilbro (“Fermeligo () And the producer of Chinese actor Zhao Tao (“Holding with Ten and Islands”). Close ”).

Payne also talked about the importance of films at a time when the industry was raised due to the high popularity of broadcasting services and the decline in theatrical attendance. Although it is preferable to watch movies in “The Cathedral of the Cinema”, although Pine admitted that he even seduces the cinema experience at home.

“I watch a lot of films at night on my stomach. But I prefer to see them expected in the cinema cathedral,” said Payne. “I am a larger that many wonderful films, both artistic and political importance, do not become a greater part of the conversation – definitely part of the cinematic conversation – because of the means of distribution. As a lover of films, it is the films that have a theatrical release that becomes part of the cinematic conversation and cultural conversation and then it has a kind of influence.”

Continue this topic, saying: “Can the community and culture of films change, I don’t know, but at least when we are films related to times, we leave a document.”

Hollywood stars, including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Jacob Elordei, Amanda Sefred, Emma Stone, travel to Venice to show films such as “After Hunting”, “Jay Kelly”, “Francoinstein”, “Ahed Li” and “Bugonia”. Payne and his colleagues from the jury will see these films and dozens of others over the next 11 days, a task that appears to be pleased to start.

“I watched 22 films for the amazing directors for the first time in a theater that he knows nothing about,” Payne said. “This is heaven!”