Jewish American film director Sarah Friedland used her acceptance speech at the Venice Film Festival’s awards ceremony on Saturday to strongly criticize Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza, calling them as genocide, media reports said.
Sarah Friedland, who won the Luigi de Laurentiis prize for best first film for Familiar Touch, declared, “I’m accepting this award on the 336th day of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and 76th year of occupation.”
In addition to winning the best first film award, Friedland also secured the best director prize for her work in the Horizons section. Kathleen Chalfant, who earned best actress for her role in Familiar Touch, also addressed Israel’s war on Gaza in her speech, Maktoob Media reported.
Both Sarah Friedland and Chalfant emphasized the responsibility of filmmakers to speak out against injustice. “I believe it is our responsibility as filmmakers to use the institutional platforms through which we work to redress Israel’s impunity on the global stage. I stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and their struggle for liberation,” Friedland said.
The awards ceremony featured several filmmakers expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Israel’s genocidal war over Gaza has now reached nearly a year, beginning on October 7, 2023. Despite efforts from multiple countries to negotiate peace, no resolution has been reached. Over 40,000 civilians have been killed, and more than 100,000 injured in Gaza. The bombardment has also left 80% of Gaza’s buildings in ruins.