Maggie Gyllenhaal says films are political

Maggie Gyllenhaal used the opening jury press conference at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2 to argue that cinema cannot be separated from politics. The actor and filmmaker, serving as president of the main competition jury, answered questions that were explicitly framed around the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and unrest in the United States. “Films are fundamentally, unavoidably political,” she said, according to Variety and Reuters. (variety.com) Her remarks came as the 83rd Venice International Film Festival opened on the Lido and before the jury begins deciding this year’s Golden Lion winner. ### What exactly did Gyllenhaal say in Venice? At the Sept. 2 press conference in Venice, Gyllenhaal responded to a question about whether cinema has a responsibility to engage with politics by saying films are “fundamentally, unavoidably political.” Variety reported that she prefaced the answer with, “OK. (labiennale.org) May as well get into it,” as the discussion turned quickly to war and geopolitics. Reuters reported the same appearance as Gyllenhaal saying cinema was inherently political. The exchange took place at the festival’s opening jury session, a setting that often serves as the first indication of how a competition jury intends to speak about art, public life and the films before it. (variety.com) ### Why did the question turn to Gaza and Ukraine so quickly? The press conference was shaped by current conflicts from the start. Variety said international reporters asked Gyllenhaal about cinema’s political role against the backdrop of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as unrest in the United States. Arab News described politics as moving “to the center of attention” almost immediately at the session. (variety.com) Venice has faced repeated questions in recent years about how major festivals should respond to war, state violence and cultural boycotts. In this case, Gyllenhaal’s answer did not set out a festival policy; it addressed the broader question of whether filmmaking itself can ever be outside politics. (wsau.com) ### Was this only about geopolitics, or also about the film industry itself? Gyllenhaal also used the same press conference to address representation inside the industry. Reuters reported that she said women continue to face “systemic” obstacles in film, while Variety and The Hollywood Reporter said she questioned the lack of female directors in competition. (variety.com) The Hollywood Reporter quoted Gyllenhaal as saying, “There’s a systemic problem.” That widened the discussion from war and international politics to the structures that determine who gets to make films and whose work reaches the main competition at top festivals. (variety.com) ### What role does Gyllenhaal have at this year’s festival? La Biennale di Venezia said in April that Gyllenhaal would serve as president of the International Jury for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 2 to Sept. 12. In that role, she leads the panel that will assign the Golden Lion for Best Film and other official awards. (wsau.com) The official jury lineup was announced by La Biennale earlier this summer. That places Gyllenhaal not as a guest making a one-off comment, but as the person presiding over the festival’s central competition jury during its prize deliberations. (hollywoodreporter.com) ### What happens next at Venice? The 83rd Venice Film Festival opened on Sept. 2 and runs through Sept. 12, according to La Biennale. Gyllenhaal and the rest of the competition jury are scheduled to award the Golden Lion and the festival’s other official prizes at the end of the festival. Sept. 12 is the next fixed date in this story. (labiennale.org) That is when the jury led by Gyllenhaal is due to deliver its verdict on the main competition. (labiennale.org)