Waters, Ernaux, Loach among hundreds signing Venice4Palestine letter urging festival action on Gaza

Hundreds of artists signed a Venice4Palestine open letter calling on the Venice Biennale and Venice Film Festival to take "concrete action" against what they describe as a genocide against the Palestinian people. Signatories include Roger Waters, Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux, Ken Loach, Céline Sciamma, and Matteo Garrone (The Hollywood Reporter, 28 August 2026). The appeal follows a similar letter one year earlier that organisers say yielded no results. Venice's leadership has not publicly responded.