Before things really kicked off at the Venice Film Festival , rumors swirled that its powers that be were going to do away with the jury press conference, breaking a long-standing tradition in which journalists were free to take the mic and ask jury members, directors, and actors any question they liked. Questions could range from the innocuous, “How do you plan to spend your time in Venice?” to the overtly political, “What is your stance on Israel and Palestine?” Last year Venice juror Alexander Payne demurred when he was asked about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying, “I feel a little bit unprepared for that question.

I’m here to judge and talk about cinema.”

These nonmoderated events fill celebrity’s publicists with dread: Just this week several expressed their concerns to Variety about the best way to help their clients handle potentially difficult questions. In a way, it makes sense that Venice would try to opt for a “welcome cocktail” event instead of a journalistic free-for-all.

But after public outcry at the suggested cancellation, the Venice Film Festival carried on with the press conferences, and they have lived up to the hype.

Unscripted, newsmaking moments have always been a crucial element of the Venice festival’s formula, with stars speaking candidly about some of the thorniest issues facing the industry and the world. This year, jury members Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Johnnie To sat in the audience as their jury chair, Maggie Gyllenhaal , answered questions on behalf of the entire voting body at the festival kickoff on September 2.

And she didn’t disappoint. When asked whether cinema should be political, given the current humanitarian crises in Gaza and Ukraine, Gyllenhaal did not mince her words.

“If movies really are an honest look into other people’s experience, [then] they are fundamentally, unavoidably political,” she said. “Look, we could say, how are we possibly here talking about movies right now when the world is in a state of emergency? To me, the answer has something to do with empathy. I think that film allows an opening into an opportunity to find empathy inside of ourselves.”

Lead juror Maggie Gyllenhaal at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival