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Thousands Protest Israeli Siege of Gaza Near Venice Film Festival

Demonstrators hold a banner that reads "Genocide" during a march in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, during the Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP)
Demonstrators hold a banner that reads "Genocide" during a march in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, during the Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP)
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Thousands Protest Israeli Siege of Gaza Near Venice Film Festival

Demonstrators hold a banner that reads "Genocide" during a march in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, during the Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP)
Demonstrators hold a banner that reads "Genocide" during a march in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, during the Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP)

Thousands of people protested Saturday against Israel's siege of Gaza on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival, seeking to move the spotlight from movie drama to real-world trauma.

Organized by left-wing political groups in northeast Italy, the demonstration began in the early evening a few kilometers from the festival where top Hollywood talent from George Clooney and Julia Roberts to Emma Stone have walked the red carpet in recent days.

The protesters, whose numbers AFP reporters estimated to be about three to four thousand, marched slowly to the entrance of the festival in the beachfront Lido district, waving Palestinian flags, as the Hollywood blockbuster "Frankenstein" was due to have its world premiere nearby.

"You are all an audience to genocide" read one sign.

Protesters said the film industry should use its public platform at Venice -- the world's oldest film festival whose movies often go on to Oscar glory -- to focus attention on Gaza.

"The entertainment industry has the advantage of being followed a lot, and so they should take a position on Gaza," Marco Ciotola, a 31-year-old computer scientist from Venice, told AFP at the rally.

"I don't say that everyone needs to say 'genocide', but at least everyone needs to take a position, because this is not a political situation. This is a human situation."

"We all know what is happening and it's not possible that it carries on," said Claudia Poggi, a teacher holding a Palestinian flag as people shouted "Stop the Genocide!" and "Free Palestine".

The Gaza war was one of the main talking points in the lead-up to the festival due to an open letter denouncing the Israeli government and calling on the festival to speak out against the war more forcefully.

The letter, drafted by a group called Venice4Palestine, has garnered more than 2,000 signatures from film professionals, including "Frankenstein" director Guillermo del Toro, according to organizers.

A similar initiative was organized at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

"The objective of the letter was to bring Gaza and Palestine to the core of the public conversation in Venice," Venice4Palestine co-founder and director Fabiomassimo Lozzi told AFP.

"We are amazed at the amount of reaction," he added.

"It was like people in our business were just waiting for someone to raise our voice."

On the same day just blocks away on the red carpet, "Frankenstein" stars Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi posed for the paparazzi and signed autographs.

The Netflix-produced film is one of 21 movies in the main competition vying for the festival's top prize, the Golden Lion.

On the red carpet Friday, Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani held up a sign saying, "Stop the Genocide in Gaza." She told AFP it was "essential that we make our voices heard."

"I want every person to be able to speak out on this. And raise their voice. And make their voice heard," she said, calling what was going on in Gaza "an attack on humanity."

The festival has said it would not disinvite actors who have supported Israeli's actions in Gaza, as the collective had asked it to do for Israeli actor Gal Gador and Britain's Gerard Butler -- who regardless were not expected to attend the festival.

Venice4Palestine's Lozzi defended the proposed boycott.

"I believe that it's justified in the same way I believed about 40 years ago that it was justified boycotting artists who performed in South Africa at the height of the apartheid system," he said.

The controversy over Gaza is not expected to end soon. Next week will see the premiere of "The Voice of Hind Rajab", set in Gaza, by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, in the main competition.

Actors Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, and directors Alfonso Cuaron and Jonathan Glazer, have joined the movie as executive producers, according to film business news outlet Deadline.

It tells the true story of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in January 2024 by Israeli forces alongside six family members while trying to flee Gaza City.

Israel invaded Gaza nearly two years ago and has killed at least 63,025 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.

The United Nations has declared a famine in the territory caused by Israel's blockade on the territory of nearly two million people.

The war was sparked by the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

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Entertainment

Real-Life Horror to TV Drama: Feared Syria Sites Become Sets for Series 

Syrian director Mohamad Abdul Aziz poses for a photograph at his office in Damascus on November 24, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian director Mohamad Abdul Aziz poses for a photograph at his office in Damascus on November 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Real-Life Horror to TV Drama: Feared Syria Sites Become Sets for Series 

Syrian director Mohamad Abdul Aziz poses for a photograph at his office in Damascus on November 24, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian director Mohamad Abdul Aziz poses for a photograph at his office in Damascus on November 24, 2025. (AFP)

At a Damascus air base once off-limits under Bashar al-Assad, a crew now films a TV series about the final months of the ousted leader's rule as seen through the eyes of a Syrian family.

"It's hard to believe we're filming here," director Mohamad Abdul Aziz said from the Mazzeh base, which was once also a detention center run by Assad's air force intelligence branch, known for its cruelty.

The site in the capital's southwestern suburbs "used to be a symbol of military power. Now we are making a show about the fall of that power," he told AFP.

Assad fled to Russia as an opposition offensive closed in on Damascus, taking it without a fight on December 8 last year after nearly 14 years of civil war and half a century of Assad dynasty rule.

The scene at the Mazzeh base depicts the escape of a figure close to Assad and is set to feature in "The King's Family" filmed in high-security locations once feared by regular Syrians.

The series is to be aired in February during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, prime-time viewing in the Arab world, when channels and outlets vie for the attention of eager audiences.

Dozens of actors, directors and other show-business figures who were opposed to Assad have returned to Syria since his ouster, giving the local industry a major boost, while other series have also chosen to film at former military or security sites.

- 'Impossible before' -

"It's a strange feeling... The places where Syria used to be ruled from have been transformed" into creative spaces, Abdul Aziz said.

Elsewhere in Damascus, his cameras and crew now fill offices at the former military intelligence facility known as Palestine Branch, where detainees once underwent interrogation so brutal that some never came out alive.

"Palestine Branch was one of the pillars of the security apparatus -- just mentioning its name caused terror," Abdul Aziz said of the facility, known for torture and abuse.

Outside among charred vehicles, explosions and other special effects, the team was recreating a scene depicting "the release of detainees when the security services collapsed," he said.

Thousands of detainees were freed when jails were thrown open as Assad fell last year, and desperate Syrians converged on the facilities in search of loved ones who disappeared into the prison system, thousands of whom are still missing.

Assad's luxurious, high-security residence, which was stormed and looted after he fled to Russia, is also part of the new series.

Abdul Aziz said he filmed a fight scene involving more than 150 people and gunfire in front of the residence in Damascus's upscale Malki district.

"This was impossible to do before," he said.

- 'Fear' -

The series' scriptwriter Maan Sakbani, 35, expressed cautious relief that the days of full-blown censorship under Assad were over.

The new authorities' information ministry still reviews scripts, but the censor's comments on "The King's Family" were very minor, he said from a traditional Damascene house where the team was discussing the order of scenes.

Sakbani said he was uncertain how long the relative freedom would last, and was waiting to see the reaction to the Ramadan productions once they were aired.

Several other series inspired by the Assad era are also planned for release at that time, including "Enemy Syrians", which depicts citizens living under the eyes of the security services.

Another, "Going Out to the Well", directed by Mohammed Lutfi and featuring several prominent Syrian actors, is about deadly prison riots in the infamous Saydnaya facility in 2008.

Rights group Amnesty International had called the facility a "human slaughterhouse".

"The show was written more than two years ago and we intended to film it before Assad's fall," Lutfi said.

But several actors feared the former authorities' reaction and they were unable to find a suitable location since filming in Syria was impossible.

Now, they plan to film on site.

"The new authorities welcomed the project and provided extensive logistical support and facilities for filming inside Saydnaya prison," Lutfi said.

As a result, it will be possible "to convey the prisoners' suffering and the regime's practices -- from the inside the actual location," he said.

Entertainment

A Minute With ‘Knives Out’ Director Rian Johnson on Third Franchise Film 

Rian Johnson. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rian Johnson. (Getty Images/AFP)
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A Minute With ‘Knives Out’ Director Rian Johnson on Third Franchise Film 

Rian Johnson. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rian Johnson. (Getty Images/AFP)

Writer and director Rian Johnson is unveiling his third “Knives Out” mystery movie, “Wake Up, Dead Man,” which streams on Netflix on December 12.

The film centers around Father Jud Duplenticy, played by Josh O’Connor, who finds himself the prime suspect in a murder amidst a small, close-knit Catholic church congregation.

The “Knives Out” detective from the previous franchise films, Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, turns up to solve the mystery.

Johnson told Reuters about the process of creating the third film in the franchise.

Q. When you’re picking titles for films, like the last film “Glass Onion,” and this one “Wake Up, Dead Man,”– how much are you trying to befuddle the audience just with the title alone?

A. Well, I mean, you’re trying to pick a title that sounds like a good murder mystery title, that sounds a little intriguing but also that hopefully once you see the movie, you’re like, "it couldn’t have been named anything else." And this movie, I think the title is apropos.

Q. When you’re writing these mysteries, do you know who you have in mind for who the cast is?

A. I try not to, because it’s a pathway to heartbreak because in one way, all the actors are excited about being in them. It’s still we’re going after people who are the busiest people in the world, who are these movie stars so you don’t always know if it’s going to work out schedule-wise. So, if you’ve written with somebody deeply ingrained for that part and you can’t get them, then that’s a heartbreak. I try and write just to the characters. I try and just write an interesting group and then find the best people to play them.

Q. I think last time I interviewed you for "Glass Onion", you’d done this script already. How far ahead are you of future installments?

A. I actually think it’s quite important for me not to come up with an idea and start writing it until I know it’s going to be the next thing. So it’s not like I have a drawer of ideas for these things.

Entertainment

Full List of 2026 Golden Globe Nominees

A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
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Full List of 2026 Golden Globe Nominees

A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Nominees for the 2026 Golden Globe Awards have been announced and “One Battle After Another” is this year's leading nominee.

Here's the list of who's nominated for this year's awards, which will be held Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton. Nikki Glaser will host the ceremony, according to Reuters.

MOVIES Best motion picture, drama “Frankenstein”; “Hamnet”; “It Was Just An Accident”; “The Secret Agent”; “Sentimental Value”; “Sinners.”

Best motion picture, musical or comedy “Blue Moon”; “Bugonia”; “Marty Supreme”; “No Other Choice”; “Nouvelle Vague”; “One Battle After Another.”

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, drama Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Die My Love”; Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”; Julia Roberts, “After the Hunt”; Tessa Thompson, “Hedda”; Eva Victor, “Sorry Baby.”

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture, drama Joel Edgerton, “Train Dreams”; Oscar Isaac, “Frankenstein”; Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine”; Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”; Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”; Jeremy Allen White, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.”

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”; Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good”; Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”; Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”; Amanda Seyfried, “The Testament of Ann Lee”; Emma Stone, “Bugonia.”

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”; George Clooney, “Jay Kelly”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”; Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”; Lee Byung-hun, “No Other Choice”; Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia.”

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role Emily Blunt, “The Smashing Machine”; Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”; Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good”; Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”; Amy Madigan, “Weapons”; Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another.”

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another”; Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”; Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”; Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”; Adam Sandler, “Jay Kelly”; Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value.”

Cinematic and box office achievement “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; “F1”; “KPop Demon Hunters”; “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”; “Sinners”; “Weapons”; “Wicked: For Good”; “Zootopia 2.”

Best motion picture, non-English “It Was Just an Accident,” France; “No Other Choice,” South Korea; “The Secret Agent,” Brazil; “Sentimental Value,” Norway; “Sirāt,” Spain; “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Tunisia.

Best motion picture, animated “Arco”; “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”; “Elio”; “KPop Demon Hunters”; “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”; “Zootopia 2.”

Best director Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”; Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”; Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein”; Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident”; Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”; Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet.”

Best screenplay “One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson; “Marty Supreme,” Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie; “Sinners,” Ryan Coogler; “It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi; “Sentimental Value,” Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier; “Hamnet,” Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell.

Best original score “Frankenstein,” Alexandre Desplat; “Sinners,” Ludwig Göransson; “One Battle After Another,” Jonny Greenwood; “Sirāt,” Kangding Ray; “Hamnet,” Max Richter; “F1,” Hans Zimmer.

Best original song “Dream as One,” from “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; “Golden,” from “KPop Demon Hunters”; “I Lied to You,” from “Sinners”; “No Place Like Home,” from “Wicked: For Good”; “The Girl in the Bubble,” from “Wicked: For Good”; “Train Dreams,” from “Train Dreams.”

TELEVISION Best television series, drama “The Diplomat”; “The Pitt”; “Pluribus”; “Severance”; “Slow Horses”; “The White Lotus.”

Best television series, comedy or musical “Abbott Elementary”; “The Bear”; “Hacks”; “Nobody Wants This”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “The Studio.”

Best performance by a female actor, drama Kathy Bates, “Matlock”; Britt Lower, “Severance”; Helen Mirren, “Mobland”; Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”; Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”; Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus.”

Best performance by a male actor, drama Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”; Diego Luna, “Andor”; Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”; Mark Ruffalo, “Task”; Adam Scott, “Severance”; Noah Wyle, “The Pitt.”

Best performance by a female actor TV series, musical or comedy Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”; Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”; Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”; Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”; Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday”; Jean Smart, “Hacks.”

Best performance by a male actor, TV series, musical or comedy Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Glen Powell, “Chad Powers”; Seth Rogen, “The Studio”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear.”

Best limited series, anthology series or movie made for television “Adolescence”; “All Her Fault”; “The Beast in Me”; “Black Mirror”; “The Girlfriend”; “Dying for Sex.”

Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series or movie made for television Jacob Elordi, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”; Paul Giamatti, “Black Mirror”; Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”; Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”; Jude Law, “Black Rabbit”; Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me.”

Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series or movie made for television Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me”; Rashida Jones, “Black Mirror”; Amanda Seyfried, “Long Bright River”; Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”; Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”; Robin Wright, “The Girlfriend.”

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus”; Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”; Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”; Catherine O’Hara, “The Studio”; Parker Posey, “The White Lotus”; Aimee Lou Wood, “The White Lotus.”

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”; Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”; Walton Goggins, “The White Lotus”; Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus”; Tramell Tillman, “Severance”; Ashley Walters, “Adolescence.”

Best performance in stand-up comedy on TV Bill Maher, “Is Anyone Else Seeing This?”; Brett Goldstein, “The Second Best Night of Your Life”; Kevin Hart, “Acting My Age”; Kumail Nanjiani, “Night Thoughts”; Ricky Gervais, “Mortality”; Sarah Silverman, “PostMortem.”

Best podcast “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard”; “Call Her Daddy”; “Good Hang with Amy Poehler”; “The Mel Robbins Podcast”; “SmartLess”; “Up First from NPR.”