Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the president of the Venice Film Festival’s parent organisation La Biennale, has launched an extraordinary attack on the European Union over its decision to withdraw €2m in funding over Russia’s participation in this year’s Art Biennale.
The withdrawal of the funding followed Russia’s shock return to the global art event, bringing an end to a four-year hiatus that began just days after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Earlier this week, the European Commission’s spokesperson Thomas Regnier said European taxpayers’ money should be used to support cultural events that “safeguard democratic values, foster open dialogue, diversity, and freedom of expression.” He added those values “are not respected in today’s Russia.”
Buttafuoco said the European Commission’s decision to withdraw funding had had a “significant economic impact” for initiatives such as Biennale College Cinema and Venice Production Bridge.
“They are abandoning us today because of a political decision, certainly not a legal decision, and certainly not a cultural decision. They are abandoning us in our journey, but La Biennale cannot accept it. We are not making politics. We do not follow the noise of the drums. We are making research, international research in the field of arts, we cannot respond to their desires. We would renounce our principles of freedom of expression, of research, fantasy and imagination.”
Becoming increasingly impassioned, Buttafuoco embarked on an extended metaphor as a way to describe the Commission’s behaviour – likening it to a wolf and the Biennale as a sheep.
“The wolf was drinking at the torrent, and downstream, a sheep was drinking as well, and the wolf accused the lamb of dirting the water he was drinking. And this, although it was impossible for him to do so.” Buttafuoco concluded the metaphor with the wolf eating the lamb.
The president continued: “The activities of our cinema department will continue. The solidity of our institution enables us to do so, and we will continue to do so. We consider this creative space as vitally necessary.”
Buttafuoco said the Biennale would challenge the funding cut in a court in Berlin.
No comments yet