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300 Artists Sign Open Letter Opposing Israel Participation in Venice Film Festival

Of Dogs and Men (AE Content)
Of Dogs and Men (AE Content)
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300 Artists Sign Open Letter Opposing Israel Participation in Venice Film Festival

Of Dogs and Men (AE Content)
Of Dogs and Men (AE Content)

Around 300 filmmakers have signed an open letter opposing two Israeli films set to screen at the Venice Film Festival, held from 28 August to 7 September 2024.
Among the signatories are Italian filmmaker Enrico Parenti, actors Niccolò Senni, Simona Cavallari and Chiara Baschetti, in addition to a number of Arab filmmakers and actors — including two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad and actor Saleh Bakri.
It seemed awkward to show two Israeli films at the Venice Film Festival while the war in the Gaza Strip was still in full swing, particularly that the festival administration had earlier opposed Russian participation because of the war in Ukraine.
The letter by filmmakers and artists is aimed at Dani Rosenberg’s Hebrew-language film Al Klavim Veanashim (Of Dogs and Men). The director is known for films that address the issue of the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis. His new film is set against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza.
The second is Amos Gitai’s Why War. The latter stars French actors Irene Jacob, Mathieu Amalric and Micha Lescot. It is a fictional movie filmed against the backdrop of current events in Gaza. However, reports said that it does not address it directly.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the open letter is entitled No Artwashing at 81 Mostra Del Cinema di Venezia.
“We, the undersigned artists, filmmakers and cultural workers, reject complicity with the Israeli regime of apartheid and oppose the artwashing of its Gaza genocide against Palestinians at the 81st Film Festival in Venice,” the letter said.
It added, “Two films screening at the Festival—Of Dogs and Men and Why War—were created by Israeli production companies that are complicit in whitewashing Israel’s oppression against Palestinians.”
In another paragraph, the letter said the Venice Film Festival has remained silent about Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinian people.
“This silence outrages us deeply. As art and film workers around the world, we call for effective and ethical measures to hold apartheid Israel to account for its crimes and system of colonial oppression against Palestinians,” it wrote.
The festival has not issued any reaction or comment. But any response will likely include denying the festival’s support for what is happening in Gaza and its adhering to the separation between art and politics.
In recent years, the Venice festival had faced similar but less important protests when it decided to screen films by directors Roman Polanski, Luc Besson and Woody Allen, who have been accused of sexual harassment on multiple occasions.
At the time, Venice Film Festival boss Alberto Barbera defended his decision, stating that he is “a festival director, not a judge.”
But the protest by filmmakers opposing the screening of two Israeli films constitutes an uncommon development. Therefore, the festival must find justifications beyond those mentioned earlier.
Danny Rosenberg's Of Dogs and Men is about a young girl searching for her missing dog in the midst of the ongoing war.
Amos Gitai's Why War, a movie considered by some Arab critics to be a left-wing anti-government film, is said to be more of a backstory than a report on the present events although it builds on them.

 

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Varieties

Australian Sauna Helps Save Frogs from Flesh-Eating Fungus 

This picture taken on August 13, 2024 shows a green and golden frog, an endangered specie, hiding between bricks inside a sauna at the research center of Macquarie University in Sydney. (AFP)
This picture taken on August 13, 2024 shows a green and golden frog, an endangered specie, hiding between bricks inside a sauna at the research center of Macquarie University in Sydney. (AFP)
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Australian Sauna Helps Save Frogs from Flesh-Eating Fungus 

This picture taken on August 13, 2024 shows a green and golden frog, an endangered specie, hiding between bricks inside a sauna at the research center of Macquarie University in Sydney. (AFP)
This picture taken on August 13, 2024 shows a green and golden frog, an endangered specie, hiding between bricks inside a sauna at the research center of Macquarie University in Sydney. (AFP)

Hundreds of endangered Australian Green and Golden Bell frogs huddle inside a sauna, shielded from Sydney's winter chill.

The sauna -- a small greenhouse containing black-painted bricks warmed by the sun -- may be pleasant, but it also protects the frogs from a deadly chytrid fungus that would otherwise drive them to extinction.

Macquarie University biologist Anthony Waddle holds one frog -- no bigger than a credit card -- in his hand as its green and gold colors become more vibrant in the heat.

"Chytrid is the worst pathogen ever", he told AFP.

It is a water-borne disease that burrows into the frogs' skin, attacking their bodies and eventually killing them.

Waddle said that globally, the disease has caused the decline of 500 amphibian species and driven 90 to extinction -- six in Australia.

"Nothing has ever caused this much devastation," he told AFP. "In Australia, we have frogs that only live in glass boxes now. This is a huge, ongoing problem."

But Waddle's dollhouse-sized saunas could change that.

In their warm interiors, the deadly chytrid fungus cannot grow on the frogs, allowing them to fight off the infection and survive.

-'No one solution' -

Frogs play a vital role in the environment and are known as bioindicators, which are used to assess the health of ecosystems.

Without the amphibians, entire ecosystems can collapse.

Globally, 41 percent of frog species are threatened with extinction, making them one of the most vulnerable invertebrate groups, a recent study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found.

Some of the biggest drivers include loss of habitat, climate change and the chytrid disease.

These drivers are difficult to tackle, but in the absence of a cure, Waddle hopes his frog saunas can help limit the losses.

"This might be the first evidence that we could cheaply and feasibly reduce that nasty yearly die-off of frogs," Waddle said.

"For Green and Golden Bell frogs, that could mean the difference between a population going or persisting."

He said the saunas show that creative solutions ranging from the complex -- such as identifying genes that could make individuals resistant to chytrid -- to more simple are needed if frog populations are to survive.

"Not one solution is going to work for everything. Frogs are so different," Waddle added.

But the beauty of Waddle's saunas is that they cost AUD$70 ($US50) to assemble, and he has helped dozens of citizen scientists build their own backyard versions.

This has not only provided valuable data about endangered frog species but also saved some from the deadly fungus.

Jodi Rowley, an amphibian biologist from the Australian Museum, said the saunas showed how creative solutions could have real-world benefits.

"It's easy to feel helpless in the face of biodiversity declines, but this study gives us a tangible way we may be able to help frogs battling a devastating fungal disease," she told AFP.