The Venice Biennale, in collaboration with ICFR-International Coalition Filmmakers at Risk, announced two solidarity initiatives for directors, filmmakers, artists arrested or imprisoned around the world in the last year at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, with the aim of raising awareness in the media, governments and world humanitarian organizations about their situation.

The two initiatives consist of an international panel on Saturday 3 September at 3.30 pm (Palazzo del Casinò) and a flash-mob on the red carpet (Palazzo del Cinema) on Friday 9 September at 16.30.

1) The panel (Saturday 3 September, 3.30 pm, Palazzo del Casinò)

The international panel, entitled Filmmakers under attack: taking stock, acting / Filmmakers Under Attack: Taking stock, Taking Action, will take place on Saturday 3 September at 3.30 pm at the Palazzo del Casino (Lido di Venezia), in the Press Conference Room.

The panel will see the participation of the Director of the Exhibition, Alberto Barbera, of Vanja Kalurdjercic (Croatia, Director of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam), Nadir Öperli (Turkey, producer), Orwa Nyrabia (Director of the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam) , Mike Downey (President of the European Film Academy) and an Iranian filmmaker.

In particular, among the topics addressed: the fund project for Ukrainian directors of the ICFR (Vanja Kalurdjercic will talk about it), the numerous cases of persecuted filmmakers that the ICFR is dealing with in the rest of the world (Orwa Nyrabia), the situation in Turkey, with reference to the case of producer Cigdem Mater and her colleagues convicted with her (Nadir Öperli), the Iranian situation, with reference to the recent cases of filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Aleahmad (Iranian director).

2) The flash-mob (Friday 9 September, 4.30 pm, red carpet, Palazzo del Cinema)

Filmmakers, artists and other personalities from the cinema community present at the 79th Exhibition on 9 September will be invited to participate, at 4.30 pm, in the flash-mob on the red carpet of the Palazzo del Cinema (Lido di Venezia) to draw attention to the situation of filmmakers arrested or imprisoned around the world, and in particular of director Jafar Panahi and other persecuted Iranian directors.

In fact, the flash-mob will be held before the screening in the Great Hall of the film in competition Kehrs nist (No Bears, Iran, 107 '), directed by Jafar Panahi, (at 4.45 pm).

The dissident Iranian filmmaker, already arrested and convicted in the past, will of course not be able to be present at the Festival as he was again deprived of personal freedom last July, for having demonstrated together with numerous colleagues for the arrest of two other directors, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Aleahmad, which occurred following protests against violence against civilians in Iran.

The flash-mob organized immediately before the screening of Jafar Panahi's film intends to represent the strongest demonstration of the greatest solidarity in the world of cinema towards the director and all colleagues who find themselves in his situation.