Overview

• Festival director Fulvia Mangili confirmed Leonardo will not sponsor the Oct. 23–Nov. 2 edition to respect differing sensitivities and avoid instrumentalization.
• Teachers, volunteers and academics pressed for the break, citing investigations by The Weapon Watch and a report by UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese that link Leonardo to Israel-related contracts.
• Fondazione Leonardo issued an official note rejecting the accusations and stating it has not sold arms to Israel since the conflict began.
• The company emphasized compliance with Italian export laws and said only long-standing maintenance on non-armed training systems remains, with efforts underway to suspend those commitments.
• Fondazione Leonardo called the exclusion a harmful misassociation and lamented a lost opportunity for school programs, while il Giornale reported a small demonstration near the firm's Turin offices.