Overview

• Several thousand demonstrators advanced along the Lido on Saturday, chanting pro‑Palestinian slogans before police halted the march well short of the Palazzo del Cinema, and the largely peaceful rally caused limited disruptions.
• Organizers linked to Venice4Palestine said the action built on an open letter that drew more than 2,000 film‑industry signatures urging the Biennale to denounce Israel’s war and to bar certain pro‑Israel artists.
• Artistic director Alberto Barbera said the festival would not rescind invitations to artists and reiterated the institution’s sorrow over civilian suffering in Gaza.
• Security was heightened across the festival zone, with closed roads, police cordons and checks designed to keep marchers away from red‑carpet events.
• Gaza‑focused works feature in the lineup, including Kaouther Ben Hania’s competition title The Voice of Hind Rajab set to premiere this week with high‑profile executive producers such as Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, adding to the festival’s charged atmosphere; Israeli actress Gal Gadot is not attending, according to her spokesperson.