Gaza solidarity at Venice Film Festival ahead of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson's The Smashing Machine

VENICE, ITALY — SEP. 1, 2025: A guest on the red carpet held up a banner reading “We are all an audience to genocide” in solidarity with Gaza ahead of the screening of The Smashing Machine at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on Monday, Sept. 1. The film, directed by Benny Safdie, stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as former wrestler Mark Kerr. Johnson walked the red carpet alongside co-star Emily Blunt, Kerr, Safdie, and producer David Koplan. Israel’s full blockade of the Gaza Strip, in place since early March, has created catastrophic conditions for the enclave’s 2.4 million residents, leading to famine, widespread disease and the collapse of essential services. Israel has killed over 63,500 Palestinians in its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave. (Footage by Marco Alvarez Sanroman/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)