There is no good reason to boycott artists, American director Julian Schnabel said in presenting In The Hand Of Dante, his star-studded new film interweaving the discovery of a manuscript of the Divine Comedy with the Supreme Poet's own life and starring Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler, two actors whom the Venice4Palestine group asked to boycott over an alleged support for "genocide" in Gaza.
"There's no reason to boycott artists.
I chose these actors for their artistic talent, and they did an exceptional job in the film.
That's all, and we should talk more about that than these issues," said the 73-year-old artist/director in response to a question about the controversy surrounding Butler and Gadot, who had already opted not to go the festival where the film is being presented out of competition.
The Venice4Palestine group had asked the Biennale to revoke the invitation to the two actors "along with any artist or celebrity who publicly and actively supports genocide," a request rejected by the Venetian institution.
