Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Gyllenhaal Says Cinema Cannot Escape Politics at Venice
Maggie Gyllenhaal is leading the group that judges films at the Venice Film Festival.
She said movies are always connected to politics in some way.
This is because movies show people’s lives and experiences to audiences.
She believes that can help people understand others and feel empathy.
She said films can tell stories about even very difficult or morally troubling people.
Understanding those people does not mean agreeing with them.
Her view is different from filmmaker Wim Wenders, who said filmmakers should stay out of politics.
Gyllenhaal also said women have a harder time getting movies financed.
Venice is taking place from September 2 to September 12, 2026.
Venice jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal said cinema is “fundamentally, unavoidably political” at the festival’s opening press conference.
She argued that films create opportunities for empathy by exposing audiences to lives and perspectives beyond their own.
Gyllenhaal said no subject or filmmaker should automatically be excluded, including stories about corrupt, violent or morally complex people.
Her comments contrasted with Berlin jury president Wim Wenders’s view that filmmakers should stay out of politics.
She said women face systemic barriers to film financing after being asked about Venice’s lineup, which includes only one solo female-directed film competing for the Golden Lion.
- Who
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, president of the 2026 Venice Film Festival jury; the discussion also involved Wim Wenders and film-industry figures who criticized the Berlin festival.
- What
- Gyllenhaal said cinema is inherently political, defended openness to difficult stories, and addressed the underrepresentation of women directors at Venice.
- When
- At the Venice Film Festival’s opening press conference on Wednesday; the 2026 festival runs from September 2 to September 12.
- Where
- The Venice Film Festival on the Lido; related remarks and controversy involved the Berlin International Film Festival.
- Why
- Gyllenhaal was responding to questions about whether cinema can be separated from politics and why women directors are underrepresented in the Venice competition.
Cinema Inevitably Engages Politics
Filmmakers Should Stay Out Of Politics
Whether cinema is political
Cinema Inevitably Engages Politics
Maggie Gyllenhaal said films are unavoidably political because they invite audiences to consider other people’s experiences and can foster empathy.
Filmmakers Should Stay Out Of Politics
Wim Wenders said filmmakers should stay out of politics because explicitly political films enter the field of politics.
Stories about difficult people
Cinema Inevitably Engages Politics
Gyllenhaal said audiences should remain open to stories about corrupt, perverse or morally compromised people because understanding them can create empathy without implying approval.
Filmmakers Should Stay Out Of Politics
No opposing position on this specific issue was provided in the articles.
Women’s representation
Cinema Inevitably Engages Politics
Gyllenhaal said women face a systemic problem obtaining film financing and questioned who determines which films are considered valuable or high art.
Filmmakers Should Stay Out Of Politics
The Venice competition included only one solo female-directed film, but the articles did not provide a response from festival organizers defending the lineup.
- Jury president
- Maggie Gyllenhaal is president of this year’s Venice Film Festival jury.
- Central argument
- Gyllenhaal said cinema is “fundamentally, unavoidably political.”
- Reason given
- She said films can help audiences find empathy and engage with experiences different from their own.
- Festival dates
- The 2026 Venice Film Festival runs from September 2 through September 12.
- Opening film
- Danny Boyle’s Ink opened the festival.
- Women directors
- May El-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown was identified as the only solo female-directed film competing for the Golden Lion.
- Palestine letter
- One report said more than 100 artists, including Roger Waters, signed a letter urging Venice to support Palestine; another cited more than 80 figures, including Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, in a related Berlinale letter about Gaza.
