Sarah Friedland voices support for Palestine during Venice Film Festival acceptance speech

At the Venice Film Festival awards ceremony, U.S. director Sarah Friedland and other winners used their speeches to express support for the Palestinian people and criticize Israel's military actions in Gaza. Friedland, who won the Luigi de Laurentiis Award for her film Familiar Touch, stated, "I’m accepting this award on the 336th day of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and 76th year of occupation." She urged filmmakers to use their platforms to highlight Israel’s actions.

Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti, winner of the best screenplay award for Happy Holidays, echoed Friedland’s sentiments, referring to the "ongoing genocide in Gaza" and emphasizing the devastating impact of oppression. Both speeches were met with applause, underscoring the global attention on the conflict. The conflict has resulted in over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry.