Israeli Filmmaker Criticizes Boycott Demands for War Film at Venice Film Festival

Israeli director Amos Gitai has responded sharply to calls from nearly 350 members of the film industry who urged a boycott of his film "Why War" at the Venice Film Festival. The film, which made its world premiere on Saturday, was inspired by a 1930s correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud discussing the roots and prevention of war.

"Why War" has drawn criticism from some who claim that the film, along with Dani Rosenberg’s "Of Dogs and Men," was created by Israeli production companies complicit in "whitewashing Israel’s oppression against Palestinians." An open letter published at the festival’s opening accused the Venice Film Festival of "artwashing" what they termed a "Gaza genocide."

Speaking at a press conference, Gitai dismissed these accusations, noting that his film did not receive any funding from the Israeli government. He argued that those calling for a boycott had likely not even seen the movie, which focuses broadly on the concept of war rather than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The film is not actually focused on Israel-Palestine, although they love always to think that they are the center of the world," Gitai remarked. "There is no center of the world. The planet is round."

Gitai emphasized that "Why War" avoids depicting the imagery of war, aiming instead to create an anti-war narrative without the amplification of violence. Reflecting on current media coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Gitai criticized the use of graphic war images on both Israeli and Arab networks, arguing that such imagery only serves to prolong the conflict. "The iconography prolongs the war so we decided to make an anti-war film without images of war," he explained.

Addressing the broader geopolitical situation, Gitai expressed the need for significant political changes on both sides of the conflict. He argued that both Hamas in Gaza and the current Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be removed to pave the way for peace. "The two groups have to do some cleaning on their stuff and then maybe a new bridge can be constructed," Gitai stated, holding out hope that a peaceful resolution could eventually be achieved.

Gitai's firm stance at the Venice Film Festival underscores his commitment to using cinema as a tool for dialogue and reflection on the destructive nature of war, rather than as a vehicle for political agendas.

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