The Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural events, has found itself at the center of a heated controversy. The European Commission’s decision to cut funding to the Biennale over Russia’s participation has sparked criticism from Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa who likened the move to “a punishment in kindergarten.”
Loznitsa, known for his acclaimed works like Maidan and Two Prosecutors is presenting his new documentary Imperium at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The film uses archival footage from the early 1970s to explore themes of power and propaganda in the former Soviet Union.
The Controversy Surrounding Russia’s Pavilion
The Biennale faced significant backlash earlier this year when it allowed Russia to use its pavilion for the first time since 2022, amidst the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Loznitsa stated he would never visit the Russian pavilion, he argued that the controversy distracts from more pressing issues, such as the EU’s failure to enforce effective economic sanctions against Moscow.
“The question I ask myself is this: can the existence of this Russian pavilion stop this war or not?” Loznitsa questioned. He highlighted that European companies imported record levels of Russian gas in the second quarter of this year, with all that money funding bombs dropped on Ukraine. According to the EU’s Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, European imports of Russian liquified fossil gas increased by 17% compared to the same period in 2025.
The Impact on the Venice Film Festival
The European Commission’s decision to terminate its €2 million multiyear grant to the Biennale Foundation has also threatened to engulf the Venice Film Festival, which, while institutionally independent, will be directly affected by the funding cut. The Biennale’s management argued that the terminated grant co-financed activities unrelated to Russia’s participation, such as the Biennale College and the Venice Production Bridge.
In a confrontational speech before announcing this year’s lineup, Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco accused the commission of “abandoning our journey.” He emphasized that the Biennale is focused on “international research in the field of arts” and not engaged in politics.
A Politically Charged Program
This year’s Venice Film Festival program stands out for its political flavor and thematic focus on Russia and its sphere of influence. Alongside Loznitsa’s Imperium the festival features Alexandre Smia’s geopolitical “disaster movie” Jupiter which depicts a Russian president surviving an assassination attempt and blaming Ukraine. Andrei Kutsila’s animated documentary Letters from the Silenced Country explores political repression in Belarus, while Julia Loktev’s five-hour documentary My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile follows Russian dissident journalists forced to flee their country.
Loktev’s film delves into the complex question of where art and journalism stop and propaganda begins. It portrays the struggles of journalists working for the independent television channel TV Rain, who grapple with how to take accountability for their country’s actions.
Criticism from Ukrainian Authorities
The inclusion of Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s film project Dau has drawn criticism from Ukrainian authorities. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “profound concern” over the film, which tells the story of a Soviet physicist involved in the creation of the first atomic bomb. The ministry stated that Russia has long used culture as an instrument of state policy and hybrid warfare, legitimizing its presence where tanks cannot reach.
The ministry also highlighted that the Dau project has received funding from sanctioned Russian businessman Sergey Adonyev and that its Greek-born protagonist Teodor Currentzis accepted Russian citizenship granted by Putin. Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera rejected the description of Dau as a “Stalinist Truman Show,” emphasizing the film’s artistic merit.
