When you watch the Venice Film Festival from afar, the first thing you see is the red carpet.

World-famous stars, flawless gowns, endless camera flashes, and a magnificent atmosphere reminding us that cinema remains one of the world’s most powerful dream industries.

But once you arrive in Venice, you begin to see another world behind all that glamour: independent filmmakers trying to tell their stories, make their voices heard, and find a place among major productions.

The real struggle often takes place not on the red carpet, but just beyond it.

Venice’s Grandeur and the Missing Hollywood Glow

Held from September 2 through 12, the 83rd Venice International Film Festival brought together films and filmmakers from around the world on the Lido. The main competition featured 21 films, while the festival welcomed celebrated names including George and Amal Clooney, Robert Pattinson, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Dakota Johnson, Alicia Vikander, Pamela Anderson, Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, and Orlando Bloom.

Seeing Hollywood stars within the everyday rhythm of the festival; sometimes only a few steps away, creates a surreal feeling unique to Venice.

Still, my personal impression was that Hollywood stars and major American studio productions were less visible than in previous years. The international press similarly described this year’s lineup as being led largely by independent filmmakers, with fewer films backed by Hollywood studios and streaming platforms. Variety⁠

European film festivals and Hollywood approach cinema with very different sensibilities. European festivals often seek more experimental, political, and intellectual forms of storytelling, while Hollywood tends to combine narrative with star power and large-scale visual spectacle.

But one truth remains: Audiences do not only want to think; they also want to experience some of that magic and glamour.

To me, the strongest festival is one that can bring these two worlds together rather than placing them in opposition. Cinema should make us think, but it should also create a dream powerful enough to draw us in.

An Open Space for Women

One of the most widely discussed issues at the festival was the limited visibility of female directors and women in creative leadership roles.

Of the 21 films in the main competition, only one was directed by a woman: May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown. Although no official figure was released covering the gender balance of producers across the entire selection, the limited visibility of women within the festival’s creative decision-making landscape was difficult to ignore.

I do not see this picture only from a negative perspective.

The absence also reveals a significant space waiting to be filled by women. It does not necessarily mean the door is completely closed; it means that door needs to be pushed much harder. Cinema needs more female directors, producers, and storytellers because an extraordinary creative force remains underrepresented.

The festival’s final result offered the strongest possible proof: May el-Toukhy, the only female director in the main competition, won the Golden Lion for Woman Unknown. The film’s leading actress, Mathilde Arcel, also received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. Reuters⁠

Sometimes one success makes the absence within the larger picture even more visible.

This victory does not mean that women were adequately represented. It shows what women can achieve when they are given the opportunity.

More Than a Film:

Tutte o Nessuna

The Italian short film Tutte o Nessuna, for which ARTTMODERNMIAMI served as Media Sponsor and U.S. Press Representative, met its audience on September 10 through a press conference and special preview screening held during festival week.

Directed by Giovanni B. Algieri and Jonathan Elia, the 15-minute film explores access to healthcare, systemic inequality, and the idea that the value of a human life cannot be measured by economic circumstances.

Filippo Librando -Donatella Finocchiaro-Giovanni B. Algieri-Violante Placido-Jonathan Elia

The film places a question before us that we all recognize, yet often overlook in the rush of everyday life:

Is the right to live truly equal for everyone?

In a world where access to healthcare can become a privilege, how meaningful is the promise of care “for all”?

Tutte o Nessuna approaches these questions not through grand slogans, but through human vulnerability, fear, and the instinct to survive. Some stories do not need to speak loudly to be powerful. Sometimes a silent wait or a difficult decision can say far more than a long speech.

This is where the film’s mission becomes especially meaningful: It treats access to healthcare not simply as a medical or economic concern, but as a universal issue directly connected to human dignity.

The International Team Behind the Film

Tutte o Nessuna brings together a strong creative team both in front of and behind the camera.

Elisabetta Marra serves as Creative Producer, Daniel Gordon as Executive Producer, and Alekza Ryan as Associate Producer. The cast features Filippo Librando, Donatella Finocchiaro, and Violante Placido, with a special appearance by William Baldwin.

 

Pasquale Rizzo, Andrea Rinaldi, and Sebastian Elia are also among the project’s valued collaborators, while Giovanni B. Algieri and Jonathan Elia share directing duties.

I would particularly like to recognize young director Jonathan Elia. He personally looked after us throughout the festival, and having seen his previous work, my opinion is not based on this film alone. Jonathan has a strong cinematic instinct, a natural ability to connect with people, and a genuine commitment to the projects he takes on.

Jonathan Elia-Filippo Librando

Quite simply, this young director has something special.

With the right projects and international collaborations, I believe we will be hearing much more from him in the future.

Filippo Librando is equally compelling on screen. He does not appear to be acting; he seems to live within the character. The ability to convey emotion without visibly trying to perform it is a rare quality.

This spirit is what makes independent cinema different. People do not limit themselves to their job descriptions. A director may also need to think like a producer. An actor becomes an ambassador for the film, while a producer often assumes responsibility for communication and visibility. Everyone comes together not around titles, but around a shared belief.

A Stronger Voice From Italy to America

As the founder of ARTTMODERNMIAMI and a film producer, I supported the project through ARTTMODERNMIAMI Media & Production’s media sponsorship and U.S. press representation, while representing our publication and its international vision in Venice.

Tugba Yazici/ Venice Film Festival

For me, this collaboration was never simply about placing a logo on a poster.

Supporting an Italian independent film from the United States meant believing that two distinct cinematic cultures could come together around one story. When Italy’s deep artistic and storytelling heritage meets America’s international reach and communications power, the collective voice becomes much stronger.

This is how culture travels.

When a story reaches another country, it does not simply change languages. It gains a new audience, a new perspective, and a new life. Through cinema, art, and media, ARTTMODERNMIAMI aims to take this cultural exchange one step further.

The conversations that began after the festival around several potential projects also suggest that this journey will not end with Tutte o Nessuna.

Livia Proto -Tuğba Yazıcı

A Platform Open to International Brand and Creative Partnerships

The mission of ARTTMODERNMIAMI Media & Production is not only to report on cultural developments, but also to support the international visibility of meaningful projects and create imaginative connections between art and brands.

For this reason, we are open to advertising, media partnerships, sponsorships, and content collaborations with international brands, institutions, production companies, and independent creatives working across cinema, contemporary art, fashion, culture, and social impact.

For us, a meaningful partnership should do more than generate visibility. It should help a story reach the right audience, bring different cultures together, and create space for new projects to emerge.

The Italy–America bridge established through Tutte o Nessuna became a powerful example of the international creative network we aim to build for the future.

ECHO PILOT EPISODE/ Livia Proto

Beyond the Red Carpet

Venice is a perfect stage for cinema.

Light falling across the water, the deepened colors of historic buildings, narrow streets suddenly opening onto grand squares; every corner feels like a different scene, and every street holds another setting.

The city’s small bistros and unhurried way of life remind me of something I often miss in America: the feeling that a day is not simply a list of tasks waiting to be completed.

I was very happy to represent ARTTMODERNMIAMI at the Venice Film Festival and to witness a film we supported meet its audience within this extraordinary atmosphere.

Venice leaves behind beautiful images, special invitations, and unforgettable moments. For me, however, the most valuable part was the courage of those trying to make their voices heard amid all that brilliance.

Because the most powerful stories are not always born at the center of the red carpet.

First, a small group believes. Then a door opens. Another country, another audience, and another possibility follow.

And some stories, no matter how small they may begin, simply refuse to remain small.

��Then, let’s hear a round of applause for the brave hearts striving to make all these dreams come true.

�� This article I wrote about the Venice Film Festival isn’t enough to fully capture Venice. I’ll continue sharing the story through entirely different adventures in my next piece. I see myself as a “Modern Gulliver.”

   Wishing you love, health, and art ❤️

By Tuğba Yazıcı
 Founder of ARTTMODERNMIAMI, Producer and Writer

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Editorial Disclosure: ARTTMODERNMIAMI Media & Production served as Media Sponsor and U.S. Press Representative for Tutte o Nessuna. The author attended the Venice Film Festival on behalf of ARTTMODERNMIAMI and supported the film’s international visibility.

Sources: La Biennale di Venezia; Reuters; Variety. Film credits and production information were provided by the Tutte o Nessuna production team.