‘Our freedom will be incomplete until Palestine is free’
There were movies by big stars, they also lit up the red carpet of the 10-day festival. But the jury chose humane stories for the award. Independent genre filmmakers won the award in Venice, surpassing heavyweight stars.
Jim Jarmusch’s films are slow-paced, personal in nature. Conventional story structures or simple plot progression are not often seen in his films; rather, he focuses on the environment, mood and character development. In an interview early in his career, the filmmaker said that his goal was to ‘create a real-time experience for the audience’. The 72-year-old American filmmaker’s new film ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ has done just that. The film, starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits, is based on the reunion of three families in New York, Dublin and Paris. The director himself said, "A kind of anti-action film." That film won the highest award in Venice this time. Jarmusch said after accepting the Golden Lion, "Thank you for loving our quiet film." Jarmusch took to the stage wearing a maroon suit and black sunglasses. The badge on his bookpin read "Enough," a sign of protest against the ongoing blockade and attacks on Gaza.
Jarmusch's first reaction upon receiving the award was, "Oh shit."
He then said, "We filmmakers don't work for competition, but this recognition is really important to me. I love Venice. Art can be political even if it doesn't directly talk about politics." At the end of his speech, an Italian woman shouted, "We love you, Jim!" Jarmusch then referred to Akira Kurosawa's Oscar acceptance speech, saying, "Kurosawa said he was still learning. So I'm still learning."