Cinema, Human Stories, and Fraternity: Reflections on the Venice Film Festival

Cinema is often described as a universal language, one that requires no translation. It has the rare ability to touch hearts across cultures, transcending borders of language, background, or belief. At Venice, audiences are exposed to films from every continent, each reflecting the richness of human experience while illuminating the values that unite us. Whether through stories of friendship, families navigating change, or communities embracing one another, the festival illustrates that beneath the diversity of our stories lies a shared human spirit. This ability of cinema to bring people together reflects the vision expressed in the Abu Dhabi Document of Human Fraternity, signed in 2019 by the His Holiness the Late Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb, which calls for coexistence, mutual embrace, and compassion among peoples. Venice, with its rich cultural heritage and global festival of cinema, provides a vivid living example of how art can embody fraternity. Each September, filmmakers, critics, and audiences sit side by side, sharing the same stories and emotions. For a brief moment, barriers fall away, and what remains is a collective recognition of our common humanity.

Throughout its history, the Venice Film Festival has highlighted works that go beyond entertainment to carry moral and cultural weight. Films that celebrate empathy, compassion, and fraternity remind us that these values are not only ideals but practices that can be nurtured through everyday life. By elevating such stories, Venice positions itself as a gathering point of global voices, a meeting ground where cultures encounter one another, where coexistence is embraced, and where humanity is reminded of its interconnection. The red carpets and screening halls of Venice do more than present cinema; they create shared spaces where narratives of belonging, coexistence, and fraternity resonate across borders.

It is in this same spirit that the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, in partnership with the Better World Fund in Paris, is co-hosting The Ties That Bind: A Journey Toward Understanding and Human Fraternity alongside the Venice Film Festival. This program explores the vital role of cinema and the arts in advancing compassion, coexistence, and mutual understanding. Bringing together diplomats, cultural icons, filmmakers, and artists, the initiative underscores how film is more than entertainment, it is a bridge that connects peoples and opens hearts. Just as Venice has long celebrated cinema’s transformative power, this collaboration reinforces the shared belief that culture and fraternity are central to building a more harmonious world.

The Higher Committee’s mission rests on key pillars such as education, youth, and sport, all of which find renewed expression in Venice. Education, like cinema, expands horizons and nurtures empathy. Youth, both as rising filmmakers and engaged audiences, are shaping the ways in which societies will embrace fraternity in the future. Sport, much like art, unites people through shared passion, echoing the communal spirit that defines the Festival. These pillars, woven into the work being advanced in Venice, affirm the Committee’s conviction that fraternity is not confined to dialogue but is lived through culture, creativity, and collaboration.

The Venice Film Festival thus stands as a testament to the unifying power of cinema, a mirror of humanity’s shared aspirations for peace and dignity. When linked to Abu Dhabi’s vision and the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity’s mission, the festival becomes more than a celebration of art, it becomes a symbol of dialogue and togetherness. Through its pillars of education, youth, sports, and culture, the Committee works to embed fraternity into the fabric of society. And through initiatives such as The Ties That Bind, it ensures that the message carried by cinema. The message of unity and coexistence continues to inspire audiences worldwide. Just as the gondolas of Venice move gracefully across waters connecting different parts of the city, cinema flows across nations and cultures, carrying with it the timeless truth: that we are, and always will be, one human family.

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** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.