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By Crispian Balmer
VENICE (Reuters) -U.S. director Alexander Payne, president of the jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival, said on Wednesday that while movies rarely alter the course of society, they serve as vital documents of their times and shape memory.
“Can a film really change society or culture? I don’t know. Doubtful,” Payne said, recalling that films such as Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” did not stop World War Two, but rather showed that people were aware of what was going on.
“We have those as documents and, as such, we can try to learn from them,” he said ahead of the formal opening of the 11-day festival later on Wednesday.
Payne, whose credits include the Oscar-winning comedies “Sideways” and “The Holdovers”, lamented the shrinking space for theatrical releases in the age of streaming, saying movies that were only seen online struggled to make a broad impact on society.
“It’s typically films which have theatrical release, which become a part of a cinema conversation, of a cultural conversation, and then have some kind of impact,” he said.
Big streamers such as Netflix and Amazon regularly showcase their films at Venice but then offer little or no exposure for those movies in cinemas, reserving them instead for their subscribers.
In the run-up to the 2025 event, some 1,500 film industry figures signed a petition urging the festival to take a robust stand over the war in Gaza, calling on the organisers to promote Palestinian voices and denounce Israeli actions.
Payne declined to say if he supported their call, while the head of the festival, Alberto Barbera, said he welcomed open debate but rejected suggestions that Israeli filmmakers or actors should be banned.
“We reject outright the demand to disinvite artists who wish to take part in the festival. At the same time, we have never hesitated to express our enormous anguish at what is happening in Gaza,” he told reporters.
The Venice festival opens on Wednesday night with the world premiere of Italian director Paolo Sorretino’s “La Grazia.” The event ends on September 6 when Payne and his fellow jury members announce who has won the top Golden Lion award.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer)
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