Overview

• Werner Herzog received the lifetime-achievement Golden Lion from Francis Ford Coppola, and his documentary Ghost Elephants screens out of competition.
• Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia opened the 82nd edition, with 21 films vying for the Golden Lion under jury president Alexander Payne.
• Pro-Palestinian activists displayed a “Free Palestine” banner at the Lido as the Venice 4 Palestine letter, signed by roughly 1,500 cultural figures, urged the festival to rescind invitations for Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler.
• Festival director Alberto Barbera said invitations would not be withdrawn and emphasized that the event will not practice censorship, while expressing sympathy for civilian suffering.
• George Clooney’s Jay Kelly and Emma Stone’s Bugonia are set for Thursday premieres, and media reports suggest Gadot and Butler may not attend, without official confirmation.