Reform UK has distanced itself from a conference speaker who suggested that Covid vaccines were linked to the King’s and the Princess of Wales’ cancers.
Aseem Malholtra, an adviser to US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, said: “One of Britain’s most eminent oncologists Professor Angus Dalgleish said to me to share with you today that he thinks it’s highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a significant factor in the cancers in the royal family.”
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that it was “shockingly irresponsible” of Reform to allow Dr Malholtra at the conference.
The party said that it “does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech”.
In his speech in Birmingham, at an event titled “Make Britain Healthy Again”, Dr Malholtra also claimed that studies show that mRNA vaccines could alter genes.
Dr Malhotra, a cardiologist, also said taking the Covid vaccine was more likely to cause harm than the virus itself.
“It is highly likely that not a single person should have been injected with this,” he added, before going on to say that the World Health Organization had been “captured” by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and urged for it to be replaced.
He hit out at health minister Stephen Kinnock, who called Dr Malhotra an “anti-vax conspiracy theorist”.
On the stage, he asked the audience: “Have you heard anything anti-vax or conspiracy theory so far here?”
Dr Malholtra’s views have been discredited by many medical professionals and are not supported by scientific evidence, and the NHS says that Covid vaccines meet all strict safety standards.
The link between the Covid jab and cancer has previously been dismissed by academics and oncologists after claims it had led to “turbo cancers”.
Professor Brian Ferguson, professor of viral immunology at the University of Cambridge, accused Dr Malholtra of repeating an “outlandish conspiracy theory only serves to undermine the credibility of those spreading it”.
He continued: “There is no credible evidence that these vaccines disrupt tumour suppressors or drive any kind of process that results in cancer.
“It is particularly crass to try to link this pseudoscience to the unfortunate incidents of cancer in the royal family.”
The King’s cancer diagnosis was first announced in February 2024. The palace has said he is receiving treatment, but has not said what type of cancer he has.
Catherine announced her diagnosis in March 2024, and went into remission in January. She, too, did not specify the type of cancer she had.
Streeting warned that “we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated”.
“It is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies. Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism.”
A Reform UK spokesman told the BBC: “Dr Aseem Malhotra is a guest speaker with his own opinions who has an advisory role in the US government. Reform UK does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech.”
1942: Actress Agnes Moorehead stands on a landing, watching actor Tim Holt (1918 – 1973), on the floor below in a scene from Orson Welles’ masterful RKO production ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) | Image Credits:Hulton Archive / Getty Images
On Friday, a startup called Fable announced an ambitious, if head-scratching, plan to recreate the lost 43 minutes of Orson Welles’ classic film “The Magnificent Ambersons.”
Why is a startup that bills itself as the “Netflix of AI,” and that recently raised money from Amazon’s Alexa Fund, talking about remaking a movie that’s more than 80 years old?
Well, the company has built a platform that allows users to create their own cartoons with AI prompts — Fable is starting out with its own intellectual property, but it has ambitions to offer similar capabilities with Hollywood IP. In fact, it’s already been used to create unauthorized “South Park” episodes.
Now Fable is launching a new AI model that can supposedly generate long, complex narratives. Over the next two years, filmmaker Brian Rose — who has already spent five years working to digitally reconstruct Welles’ original vision — plans to use that model to remake the lost footage from “The Magnificent Ambersons.”
Remarkably, Fable has not obtained the rights to the film, making this a prospective tech demo that will probably never be released to the general public.
Why “Ambersons”? If you’re not a Welles-loving cinephile, I’m guessing it sounds like an obscure choice for digital resurrection. Even among classic movie buffs, “”Ambersons” is overshadowed by its older, more famous sibling — while “Citizen Kane” is often called the greatest movie ever made, his second film is remembered as a lost masterpiece that the studio took out of the director’s hands, dramatically cutting it down and adding an unconvincing happy ending.
The movie’s reputation — the sense of loss and what could have been — is presumably what interested Fable and Rose. But it’s worth emphasizing that the only reason we care about “The Magnificent Ambersons” today is because of Welles — because of how it derailed his Hollywood career, and how even in its diminished form, it still reveals so much of his filmmaking genius.
That makes it even more astonishing that Fable apparently failed to reach out to Welles’ estate. David Reeder, who handles the estate for Welles’ daughter Beatrice, described the project to Variety as an “attempt to generate publicity on the back of Welles’ creative genius” and said that it will amount to nothing more than “a purely mechanical exercise without any of the uniquely innovative thinking [of] a creative force like Welles.”
Despite Reeder’s criticism, he seems less upset by the idea of attempting to remake “Ambersons” and more by the fact that the estate was not “even given the courtesy of a heads up.” After all, he noted, “the estate has embraced AI technology to create a voice model intended to be used for VO work with brands.”
I’m not so open-minded. Even if Welles’ heirs were being consulted and compensated, I’d have zero interest in this new “Ambersons,” just as I have zero interest in hearing a digital simulacrum of Welles’s legendary voice being used to hawk new products.
Now, Welles fans know this isn’t the first time other filmmakers have tried to posthumously fix or finish his movies. But at least those attempts used footage that Welles had shot himself. Fable, meanwhile, describes the approach it plans as a hybrid of AI and traditional filmmaking — apparently some scenes will be reshot with contemporary actors whose faces will be then swapped for digital recreations of the original cast.
Despite the absurdity of announcing a project like this without the film rights or the blessing of Welles’ daughter, at least Rose seems motivated by a genuine desire to honor Welles’ vision. For example, in a statement about why he wants to recreate the film, Rose mourned the destruction of “a four-minute-long, unbroken moving camera shot whose loss is a tragedy,” with only 50 seconds of the shot remaining in the recut film.
I share his sense of loss — but I also believe this is a tragedy that AI cannot undo.
No matter how convincingly Fable and Rose may be able to stitch together their own version of that tracking shot, it will be their shot, not Welles’, filled with Frankensteined replicas of Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead, not the actors themselves. Their final product will not be Welles’ version of “The Magnificent Ambersons” that RKO destroyed more than 80 years ago. Barring a miraculous rediscovery of lost footage, that version is gone forever.
More than 7,000 children under the age of five were put on recovery programmes for acute malnutrition at clinics run by Unicef in Gaza in just two weeks last month, figures reveal.
The overall total for August is being compiled by Unicef but is expected to exceed 15,000 new patients, more than seven times the total in February.
A famine was declared in Gaza City, in the north of the devastated territory, last month, but other towns farther south are “fast catching up”, officials from the agency said.
“On the ground, it is crystal clear that people are starving, that there is a famine unfolding in Gaza City, and Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis [two southern cities in Gaza] are not far behind,” said Tess Ingram, a spokesperson with Unicef who has spent recent days in Gaza City.
Ingram said she had spoken to a malnourished mother unable to breastfeed her malnourished eight-month-old there.
Graph showing children screened for malnutrition in Gaza
“She and her husband were sharing a cup of rice a day. The situation is horrific,” Ingram added.
Gaza City, once a busy commercial and cultural hub, is now the target of a new Israeli offensive which threatens to displace its million or more estimated inhabitants. Israeli officials have described the city as a “bastion” of Hamas.
Israel’s military has ordered Palestinians to leave the city for the south before the assault, but has given no timeline for the offensive, which it has previously indicated would not be announced in advance.
The offensive threatens to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians weakened by nearly two years of bombing, malnutrition, and now famine. Many will previously have been displaced, some repeatedly, and some Gaza City residents have said they will refuse to endure it again.
In May, Israel eased a two-month total blockade on supplies entering Gaza but supplies remain inadequate.
UN agencies are working to overcome massive logistical difficulties, continuing Israeli restrictions and bureaucratic obstacles to supply a small number of community kitchens and bakeries, while private commercial trucks transport limited quantities of rice, sugar, instant noodles and other dry foodstuffs. Fresh vegetables are rare and cost as much as $50 (£37) for a kilo, a price few can afford.
“The story is the same – a bowl a day from the community kitchen, almost always lentils or rice, shared among the family, parents skipping so children can eat. No nutrients. No other options – aid is scarce, and the market is far too expensive,” said Ingram.
‘It is crystal clear that people are starving, that there is a famine unfolding in Gaza City, and Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis are not far behind,’ a Unicef spokesperson has said. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Residents have described being faced with an “impossible choice”: to remain in makeshift homes in Gaza City and hope to survive a possible Israeli onslaught or flee to massively overcrowded coastal areas where there is little space and almost no services, water supplies or health provision.
Aid workers in al-Mawasi, the main coastal zone designated by Israel for those fleeing Gaza City, say hundreds of thousands of displaced people are already packed on to its sandy dunes and fields. A tent-sized plot on any land that remains clear costs the equivalent of $300 per month and there is little room for new arrivals.
Graph showing hospital admissions for malnutrition
“Water supply is insufficient, the tents and shelters are very flimsy, there’s no garbage or solid waste disposal to speak of, no shade and no room for anyone else already … It’s totally unfit for human habitation even now,” said one aid worker in al-Mawasi.
Israeli officials blame the UN for failing to distribute aid and have repeatedly claimed Hamas is stealing much of the assistance, though an internal US government report said this was not true.
Last month, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition, found three key thresholds for famine had been met in Gaza City.
Children are among the most vulnerable. From 2,000 in February, enrolments in Unicef clinics in Gaza for under-fives with acute malnutrition had risen to 5,500 in May. In July, the total reached more than 13,000.
The number of under-fives screened by Unicef went from 82,000 to 144,000 over the period. Hospital admissions for the most life-threatening cases of severe acute malnutrition rose from 20 in March to 40 in July, though this was down from a peak of more than 50 in June. Outpatient cases increased from 380 in March to 2,846 in July, of whom 1,248 were in Gaza City.
Palestinian children queue to receive a hot meal from a charity kitchen in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images
Despite opposition from within the military high command, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, remains committed to the new offensive. Wide gaps remain between Israel’s demands and those of Hamas, and any ceasefire currently looks unlikely.
Far-right members of the ruling coalition have threatened to bring down Netanyahu’s government if Israel makes concessions to bring back about 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom fewer than 20 are thought to be alive.
On Friday, Israel’s military announced in a statement it would target a range of structures identified as being used by Hamas, particularly tall buildings.
“In the coming days, the [Israeli military] will strike structures that have been converted into terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City: cameras, observation command centres, sniper and anti-tank firing positions, command-and-control compounds,” the statement said.
Last week, officials said Israel would stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the number of aid trucks arriving in the north as the new offensive ramps up and preparations are made to order hundreds of thousands of people south.
The UN and partners have said the pauses, airdrops and other measures fell far short of the 600 trucks of aid needed daily in Gaza.
The current war started after a Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 which killed 1,200, mostly civilians, and led to 250 being abducted. The Israeli offensive that followed has killed more than 63,000, mostly civilians, and destroyed much of Gaza.
A ticking bomb in the heart of London sets the stage for “Fuze,” a taut new British crime thriller from director David Mackenzie. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, combines the urgency of a heist film with the dread of an unexploded World War II bomb unearthed at a bustling construction site.
Written by Ben Hopkins, the feature stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Sam Worthington. As the military and police scramble to evacuate the city against the clock, chaos unfolds across London’s streets.
For Mackenzie, whose credits include the best picture-nominated “Hell or High Water” and “Outlaw King,” the concept was born years ago.
“I wanted to mash up the tensions of the heist movie with an unexploded bomb movie,” Mackenzie tells Variety in the TIFF Studio. “In the U.K., there’s always a discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb somewhere. Evacuations are forced, and they’re often blown up in situ. It felt like a very real thing to lean into. With ‘Fuze,’ I just wanted to make something purely entertaining, visceral and cinematic — not trying to be a message film. It’s a high-tension, hopefully enjoyable ride.”
At just over 90 minutes, Mackenzie calls it his leanest feature yet: “I genuinely want the audience to feel a sense of relief that it’s over and to have had a good, entertaining experience of a thrilling, high-tension, modern heist movie.”
Mbatha-Raw, who plays Chief Superintendent Zuzana, says she was drawn to the project’s realism and immediacy.
“When I read the script, it felt so propulsive, almost like it was playing out in real time,” she shares. “I hadn’t played a police officer before, and I was excited to tackle something this grounded and gritty. I got to meet with London-based police officers and observe command centers like the one my character oversees. That was a fascinating insight.”
Mbatha-Raw praises Mackenzie’s style: “His long takes and constantly moving camera feel so authentic and exhilarating. Watching it with an audience for the first time, I was on the edge of my seat — even though I knew what was going to happen.”
Worthington, who reunites with Mackenzie after several collaborations, said his character X didn’t exist in early drafts.
“I just phoned David and said, ‘What can I do in this one?’ He told me all the roles were gone,” Worthington recalls. “But when I read it, I thought I could do something with this henchman figure in Theo’s gang. I asked him to let me create something, and David gave me that trust. That freedom allowed me to help serve the story and be a foil for Theo.”
Worthington, best known for his role as Jake Sully in James Cameron’s “Avatar” franchise, added that Mackenzie’s confidence in his actors keeps him coming back: “He trusts me, which is fantastic. Then you can just go and create.”
Alongside Taylor-Johnson and James, the cast builds tension through two opposing forces — the bomb squad and the robbery gang.
“They’re both really strong actors, deeply committed to what they’re doing,” Mackenzie says of Taylor-Johnson and James. “Aaron brings a very real representation of the Army EOD squad, while Theo delivers this visceral energy as part of the robbery crew. It was great to work with them both.”
While Mackenzie called “Fuze” his “pure cinematic entertainment” effort, he teased a passion project long in the works: an adaptation of a generational spaceship travel novel spanning 100 years.
“It’s incredibly complex, a 190-page script at the moment,” he admits. “If realized properly, it could be a heck of a trip. That’s something I’d still love to find a home for.”
For Mbatha-Raw, the role marked another chance to explore range. “I’d love to do a two-hander on film — something really intimate and soulful. I’m always looking for characters with depth,” she shares.
And for Worthington, with off “Avatar: Fire and Ash” on the horizon, “Fuze” proved another chance to collaborate with a trusted director. “It’s all about whether a movie connects with an audience,” he said. “If it does, you hope you get the chance to keep telling these stories.”
Worthington also offered an update on James Cameron’s sprawling “Avatar” sequels. He confirmed that Avatar 2 and 3 were shot together, with portions of 4 filmed as well to accommodate the younger cast’s aging. “There was a scene or two where the kids had to be the same age, so we shot that back in 2018 or 2019,” he explains. He added that Cameron has written Avatar 4 and 5 in full, teasing that the saga will jump forward in time if audiences continue to embrace the films. “We’re not arrogant enough to assume they’ll keep connecting, but if they do, we get to keep telling the story.”
Worthington also addressed the uncertain future of Kevin Costner’s “Horizon” saga, in which he had a significant role. He confirms that Costner had mapped out and written four films, with Worthington having read all of them, but the project’s continuation now rests in limbo. “That was Costner’s passion project — he’d been working on it for 10 years,” Worthington says. “It all comes down to whether the audience connects. The passion is always there, but sometimes it’s just about whether it’s the right time for people to embrace it.”
Microsoft said on Saturday that its Microsoft Azure users may experience increased latency due to multiple undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea.
Traffic traversing through the Middle East originating and or terminating in Asia or Europe regions may experience increased disruptions, the company said in a service health status update for its Azure service.
“Undersea fiber cuts can take time to repair, as such we will continuously monitor, rebalance, and optimize routing to reduce customer impact in the meantime. We’ll continue to provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change,” Microsoft said.
As a result of the disruption, Azure, the world’s second-largest cloud provider after Amazon’s AWS, has rerouted through alternate paths leading to higher-than-normal latencies.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
Two-time Olympic sport climbing gold medallist Janja Garnbret wowed her home crowd in Slovenia by winning gold in the Lead discipline at the IFSC Koper World Cup on Saturday (6 September).
Garnbret showed her immense class by reaching hold 47+ in the final run, with Seo Chaehyun of the Republic of Korea in second on hold 38+, while Spain’s Laura Rogora claimed the bronze.
It was the 31st Lead triumph of Garnbret’s storied career and she told the IFSC: “I was reminded before the competition that this could be my 31st win, but I honestly wasn’t thinking about it before the final. But now I can think about it and I am really happy about it.
“This year marks the 10th year since I made my debut in Chamonix at a senior World Cup and it’s crazy how far I have come. A 31st win is unbelievable.
“Every year girls are training hard and trying to catch me and I am trying to stay one or two steps ahead of them, but they are very strong and I can feel it – so I need to try hard, which is great.”
In the men’s event, Sorato Anraku of Japan, who claimed the silver medal at Paris 2024, won the gold with a final 48+ hold. Two Olympic gold medallists were in second and third place – Alberto Ginés López of Spain earned the silver on the night, while Great Britain’s Toby Roberts was in bronze.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman walks on the day of a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 4, 2025.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
OpenAI has sharply raised its projected cash burn through 2029 to $115 billion as it ramps up spending to power the artificial intelligence behind its popular ChatGPT chatbot, The Information reported on Friday.
The new forecast is $80 billion higher than the company previously expected, the news outlet said, without citing a source for the report.
OpenAI, which has become one of the world’s biggest renters of cloud servers, projects it will burn more than $8 billion this year, some $1.5 billion higher than its projection from earlier this year, the report said.
The company did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
To control its soaring costs, OpenAI will seek to develop its own data center server chips and facilities to power its technology, The Information said.
OpenAI is set to produce its first artificial intelligence chip next year in partnership with U.S. semiconductor giant Broadcom, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, saying OpenAI plans to use the chip internally rather than make it available to customers.
The company deepened its tie-up with Oracle in July with a planned 4.5-gigawatts of data center capacity, building on its Stargate initiative, a project of up to $500 billion and 10 gigawatts that includes Japanese technology investor SoftBank. OpenAI has also added Alphabet’s Google Cloud among its suppliers for computing capacity.
The company’s cash burn will more than double to over $17 billion next year, $10 billion higher than OpenAI’s earlier projection, with a burn of $35 billion in 2027 and $45 billion in 2028, The Information said.
US indie director Jim Jarmusch unexpectedly won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice film festival on Saturday with Father Mother Sister Brother, a three-part meditation on the uneasy tie between parents and their adult children.
Although his gentle comedy received largely positive reviews, it had not been a favourite for the top prize, with many critics instead tipping The Voice of Hind Rajab, a harrowing true-life account of the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl during the Gaza war. In the end, the film directed by Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania took the runner-up Silver Lion.
Divided into chapters set in New Jersey, Dublin and Paris, Father Mother Sister Brother features an ensemble cast including Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat. In a four star review, the Guardian’s chief film critic Peter Bradshaw described it as “a film to savour”.
“All of us here who make films, we’re not motivated by competition. But this is something I truly appreciate, this unexpected honour,” said Jarmusch, who made his name in the 1980s with offbeat, low-budget works such as Stranger Than Paradise and Down by Law.
Elsewhere, Italy’s Toni Servillo was named best actor for his wry portrayal of a weary president nearing the end of his mandate in La Grazia, directed by his long-time collaborator Paolo Sorrentino. China’s Xin Zhilei won best actress for her role in The Sun Rises On Us All, a drama directed by Cai Shangjun that delves into questions of sacrifice, guilt and unresolved feelings between estranged lovers who share a dark secret.
The Venice festival marks the start of the awards season and regularly throws up big favourites for the Oscars, with films premiering here over the past four years collecting more than 90 Oscar nominations and winning almost 20. It has often been seen as the most glamorous and least political of the major film festivals, but in 2025 the movies that made the strongest impact focused on current events, with the ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza casting a long shadow.
As he unveiled his own picture last weekend, Jarmusch acknowledged that he was concerned that one of his main distributors had taken money from a company with ties to the Israeli military.
The Voice of Hind Rajab, which uses the real audio of a young girl’s desperate pleas for help as her car comes under Israeli gunfire, was the fan favourite, winning a record 23-minute standing ovation at its premiere. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw said it was “a fierce, vehement piece of work”.
In her acceptance speech, Ben Hania said: “Cinema cannot bring Hind back, nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her. Nothing can ever restore what was taken, but cinema can preserve her voice, make it resonate across borders.”
“Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real, until justice is served.”
The best director award went to Benny Safdie for The Smashing Machine, which starred Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the role of the real-life mixed martial arts pioneer Mark Kerr. Safdie said: “To be here amongst the giants of the past and the giants here this year, it just blows my mind.”
The special jury award went to Italy’s Gianfranco Rosi for his black-and-white documentary Below the Clouds, about life in the chaotic southern city of Naples, marked by repeated earthquakes and the threat of volcanic eruptions.
Among the movies that left Venice empty-handed were a trio of Netflix pictures: Kathryn Bigelow’s nuclear thriller A House of Dynamite, Guillermo del Toro’s retelling of Frankenstein and Noah Baumbach’s comedy-drama Jay Kelly. No Other Choice by South Korea’s Park Chan-wook also failed to secure an award, despite strong reviews, likewise Bugonia by Yorgos Lanthimos, which starred Emma Stone.
In the press conference following the ceremony, reporters expressed surprise that The Voice of Hind Rajab had been passed over for the Golden Lion. Jury president Alexander Payne said in response: “As a jury, we treasure both of those films equally, each for its own reason. And we wish both of those films a long and important life, and we hope that the support of the awards we’ve given tonight will help them, each in its own way.”
Payne also denied claims that a juror threatened to quit over the awards, saying: “One of my jurors threatened to quit? … No. I think we know … not to believe everything we read online.”
Remake, directed by Ross McElwee, on Sept. 6 was given the Golden Globes Impact Prize for Documentary, presented by Artemis Rising Foundation as a Collateral Impact Award of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
Jury members were Helen Hoehne (Golden Globes president), Regina K. Scully (Artemis Rising Foundation founder-CEO), actor-musician Jharrel Jerome, actor Teo Yoo, Geralyn White Dreyfous (producer and co-founder of Impact Partners), screenwriter Misan Sagay (Belle), director Edoardo Ponti (The Life Ahead), and Danielle Turkov Wilson (CEO-founder of Think-Film Impact Production. )
At the closing ceremony, the festival announced its main festival awards (see separate story), but other awards aren’t announced from stage.
The jurors saluted Remake by commenting that it is an example of documentary creativity and excellence, with the power to reach and impact audiences.
In a statement, the jury said, “Remake evokes exquisitely the pain of loss, and letting down those we love the most — but it also brings us to a deeper understanding of how grief expands and teaches us. It shows the power of candid storytelling on the healing process, and offers a new lens on how art can help us confront truth, and find solace.”
Artemis Rising Foundation’s Regina K. Scully added, “Documentary films reflect the key stories and issues of our time. They help inform and inspire our culture and, as such, deserve to be recognized and celebrated. This is why we are honored to partner with the Golden Globes and recognize the brilliant film Remake with this prize; we know it will have an impactful legacy.”
At a Sept. 3 event in Venice to mark the occasion of the prize, Golden Globes president Hoehne said, “Documentary film is one of the most powerful tools we have to illuminate truths, amplify unheard voices, and drive meaningful change. At the Golden Globes, we believe that cinema is not only about artistry, but also about impact — and this prize is dedicated to recognizing films that shine a light on urgent social issues with courage and creativity. We are proud to continue this initiative here at the Venice International Film Festival, following its debut in Cannes earlier this year. Together with our esteemed jury — comprised of remarkable artists, activists, and visionaries — we are celebrating documentary filmmakers who remind us that storytelling can be a catalyst for justice and transformation.
“I would like to thank our partners, Regina Scully and the Artemis Rising Foundation, as well as Danielle Turkov Wilson and Think-Film Impact Production, whose dedication ensures that the winning documentary does not stop at moving hearts in the cinema, but continues its journey to make a tangible difference in the world. And finally, I want to congratulate all the shortlisted filmmakers. Your films represent bravery, creativity, and a deep commitment to truth. We are honored to recognise your work.”
The prize is supported by Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera, who joined the jury on the red carpet and said, “Documentaries grow year after year in the consideration of the public and critics. For this reason, the new prize that Golden Globes and Artemis Rising Foundation are presenting to the best impact documentary on the occasion of the 82nd Venice Film Festival seems to me of great importance and value.”
The prize honors a documentary feature film in the Biennale’s official selection, either in or out of competition, that is calling attention to a key social issue. It is a continuation of the partners’ commitment to elevating documentary film, with effects that go beyond the scope of the festival. The winner will receive a cash prize of $US10,000 from Artemis Rising Foundation, as well as an impact collaboration with Think-Film Impact Production, which will take forward the potential of the film to realize tangible impact actions and outcomes.
The jury collectively added, “The high standard of documentaries this year at the Venice Film Festival made this a matter for careful deliberation. We commend the Golden Globes for taking this step to recognise documentary more visibly, and hope that this prize continues to grow, and encourages greater industry investment overall into high-quality documentary films for the benefit of audiences and society.”
