As a seasoned observer of cultural and political landscapes, I find myself intrigued by the fascinating dynamics unfolding at the Venice Film Festival. The appointment of Buttafuoco as Biennale president has indeed sparked speculation about a potential shift to the right, yet his diverse background and independent spirit seem to challenge such assumptions.
On May 26, 2023, approximately a year following her victory in the 2022 national election to serve as Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni addressed a political gathering in Catania, Sicily. Being the first woman and the most right-wing politician to hold this position since Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, Meloni informed her enthusiastic audience that despite her electoral triumph, the ultimate victory was still not achieved. She identified one remaining stronghold of left-leaning ideologies in Italian society: the cultural domain.
She expressed her desire to free Italian culture from a system that requires one to be affiliated with a specific political faction in order to work within it. This statement was a clear declaration of purpose, an ominous salvo in the ongoing cultural battles within Italy, and hinted at a forthcoming conservative response to what is perceived as the left-wing dominance over Italy’s film, television, and artistic spheres.
In her true-to-her-word approach, Meloni made a significant move upon becoming prime minister by designating Giampaolo Rossi, a journalist renowned for advocating for figures like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Hungary’s far-right leader Viktor Orbán, as the head of Italian public broadcaster Rai. Rossi expressed his desire to correct media narratives and reclaim spaces that he believes have been taken by the left. Similar appointments followed, such as Gennaro Sangiuliano, another right-wing journalist, being named culture minister, who has vocalized his intentions to combat “Anglo-Saxon cancel culture” and a perceived dictatorship of wokeness.
In a recent change, Alessandro Giuli, a well-known conservative critic, has assumed leadership at Maxxi, Rome’s foremost contemporary art museum. On the other hand, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, widely regarded as Italy’s most prominent right-wing thinker, was chosen as president of the Venice Biennale, an organization responsible for managing a wide range of cultural events such as the Venice Film Festival. Before his appointment, Buttafuoco expressed that this season would mark a change, stating, “The barriers will be removed.” He further added, “A space will be provided for those who have not had one up until now.”
Amidst the bustle of the 91st Venice Film Festival, often seen as the kickoff for Hollywood’s award season, and with the city of Lido filled by the film world, let’s consider the current situation of Italy’s cultural debates. Could Italy’s far-right political movement potentially influence the entertainment industry?
Italian filmmakers are worried.
Over the past summer, numerous distinguished film directors, such as Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name”), Paolo Sorrentino (“The Great Beauty”), Matteo Garrone (“Gomorrah”), and Alice Rohrwacher (“The Wonders”), collectively protested against the Meloni administration’s plan to seize control of Rome’s Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, a globally renowned film school with an impressive history. They viewed this action as an aggressive and dogmatic effort to instill a new political ideology.
In May this year, various journalists from the state-run Rai broadcaster held a 24-hour work stoppage to voice their concerns over perceived threats to free speech and suspected instances of censorship since the Meloni administration came into power. This action followed closely on the heels of Reporters Without Borders, a media monitoring group, lowering Italy’s ranking in its yearly press freedom index, classifying the country as “problematic,” similar to Hungary where free political speech has been significantly limited under Prime Minister Orbán.
As a gamer, I’ve noticed a significant lack of diverse viewpoints on Rai, which makes it feel more like a single-player game where everyone seems to follow the same script. Those who dare to think differently or challenge the status quo are often met with resistance, like characters in a game who don’t conform to the norm.
Tommaso Pedicini, an Italian cultural journalist residing in Germany, notes that Italy isn’t identical to Hungary as of now. He acknowledges that there are fewer dissenting voices against the government on Rai, but they haven’t vanished completely. Furthermore, he emphasizes that left-wing protests have grown more vocal.
Andrea Minuz, a cinema history professor at Rome’s Università La Sapienza and member of the Centro Sperimentale board, observes that political appointments in Italy are more common than exceptions. When in power, left-wing governments have typically filled top positions with their own people. However, under Meloni and the new culture minister Sangiuliano, there has been discussion about the right seeking retribution or settling scores against the left. Minuz believes that so far, the influence of these changes has been limited because the core of Italy’s cultural bureaucracy remains predominantly left-wing. “If the underlying foundations do not shift, nothing will change,” he says.
Apart from their political alignment, it’s notable that the Italian right, consisting of traditionalists, free-market advocates, and states’ rights supporters, lacks a shared cultural ideology. Giorgia Meloni, a prominent figure within this group, seems particularly fond of fantasy literature, having expressed her love for “Lord of the Rings.” She even had a photoshoot next to a Gandalf statue for a magazine. In December last year, Meloni organized a four-day fantasy-themed Christmas event, inviting tech mogul Elon Musk and Santiago Abascal, the leader of the Spanish right-wing party Vox. Interestingly, “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy was adopted by some segments of the Italian right in the 1970s as a symbol of traditional values opposed to progress, representing the fight to preserve Western, Christian identity against modernization, globalization, and foreign influence.
According to Pedicini, it’s valid that the right wing claims cultural institutions are predominantly run by the left. However, if the right aimed to control these industries, they might lack the necessary human resources. For years, Italian cultural institutions have been influenced by the left, and there simply aren’t enough intellectuals from the right with the qualifications to fill those positions.
Biennale President Buttafuoco is considered one of the rare “qualified” figures on the cultural right, as stated by Pedicini. In his words, “He is a genuine scholar, a skilled writer, and an insightful thinker.”
Although not an ideological follower of Meloni, Buttafuoco advocates for a strong “conservative heritage” in Italy. Yet, he has recently embraced Islam and practices it as his faith.
According to Pedicini, his political stance is not typical of a Meloni-like Italian nationalist but rather aligns more with a right-wing anarchist. In fact, many of his views contrast significantly with those of the current Meloni administration.
“Minuz remarks that he’s doing exceptionally well. He finds it commendable that they’ve chosen Willem Dafoe to be the new art director for the theater division at La Biennale, calling it an excellent selection.”
Concerns that Buttafuoco’s position as Biennale president might initiate a conservative political direction at the Venice Film Festival, have up until now, not materialized in this manner.
In May, Alberto Barbera, who has been the artistic director of the film festival for quite some time and is known to have political leanings towards the left, extended his contract by two more years, taking him up to 2026. Barbera is often praised for revitalizing Venice and making the festival a crucial stop during the awards season.
“At the given moment, I instantly connected with Alberto Barbera and hold immense admiration for the knowledge, proficiency, and fervor he’s shown while directing the Venice Film Festival. I am genuinely delighted that La Biennale will persist on this journey with him leading the way,” Buttafuoco expressed in a statement previously.
Prior to this year’s festival, Barbera publicly declared his political stance by announcing his departure from social media, following a string of posts by Musk that were critical of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and suggested that the U.K. was on the brink of civil war due to anti-immigrant riots incited by extremist agitators.
“Following the recent declarations made by the proprietor of Twitter (or alternatively, my apologies, the owner of X), my motivation to continue using a platform that no longer aligns with my beliefs has significantly dwindled,” Barbera penned.
In his festival choices, Barbera has consistently demonstrated his political autonomy from the Meloni administration. Last year, he selected several works such as Garrone’s “Io Capitano” and Agnieszka Holland’s “Green Border“, which portray the struggles of migrants trying to enter Europe. These selections can be seen as a clear critique of Rome’s immigration policies that are often hostile towards immigrants. The 2024 selection features Joe Wright’s “M. Son of the Century“, a critical TV series about Mussolini’s life, which is based on the book by prominent Meloni critic Antonio Scurati.
“A well-known Italian film critic and frequent Biennale attendee observes that there’s been no evident censorship, suppression, or right-wing push yet. However, he cautions that the Meloni government is still quite young, only two years old, which leaves him worried they might be gearing up for more.”
Originally published in the August 21 edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine, you can click here for a subscription to continue reading similar stories.
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2024-08-26 17:25