Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker George Clooney hit out at “authoritarians who peddle fear” as he gave a powerful speech receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice Film Festival. The Ocean’s Eleven actor, who has previously hit out at the kakistocracy, said movies “don't stop wars” or “fix elections” but they “remind us that a stranger is never a stranger, and that he might just be the hero in somebody else's story.” A regular attendee at the festival, Clooney accepted the award on Wednesday (September 2) saying that “we're living through a moment in time where people in charge, the people with the most money, are telling us to fear one another.”

The famed U.S. star also revealed why he won't be directing another film anytime soon (hint: he has nine-year-old twins!) and lamented how "most of the [world's] powers have…

Awards, artificial intelligence, conflicts and climate change. Much of the opening talk at the start of the 83rd Venice Film Festival has revolved around geopolitics, propaganda…