Bruno Wang brought Lee Daniels, Nadine Labaki and Marisa Berenson together for a Liberatum discussion on the human stories that disappear when people are reduced to digital snapshots
At a time when online platforms can turn a single image, phrase or comment into a lasting judgment, filmmakers Lee Daniels and Nadine Labaki argued in Venice that cinema can create space for greater understanding. Their conversation explored the ability of film to restore context, complexity and empathy to stories that might otherwise be reduced to a single public impression.
Held at Palazzina Grassi on 7 September as Liberatum marked its 25th anniversary, the programme brought film, performance and public dialogue together around the theme of human dignity. Pure Land Foundation founder Bruno Wang hosted Daniels, Labaki and actor Marisa Berenson in a discussion about the consequences of reducing a complicated person to one photograph, comment or label.
Labaki described the speed at which people can be judged online. “It takes a moment, it takes a situation, it takes a phrase, it takes a comma, it takes a word to completely judge somebody,” she said. “And then it becomes like a verdict.” Film, by contrast, gives audiences time to understand a character through their motivations, history and contradictions. “You start seeing their contradictions,” she said, and may ultimately “fall in love with that person, even if you don’t agree with them.”
For Daniels, the question of visibility is deeply connected to his own career. “Precious was just representative of me not being seen as a Black queer man in the ’80s when I wanted to be seen,” he said. “So many of us are invisible to people. We don’t fit the norm, then we are not significant.” He said his work is intended “to give voice to people that don’t have voices and a face for people that aren’t seen.”
The panel also addressed whether art can create meaningful change beyond the screen. Labaki recalled creating Capernaum with the hope that it might help influence legislation concerning children’s rights, while recognising that films cannot easily change institutions. Daniels described a personal response that offered another measure of impact, recalling an abuser who approached him after seeing Precious and said, “Thank you. I will stop doing this to my daughter.” Berenson emphasised the significance of these individual moments, saying that “change starts on an individual level”.
A representative of the Pure Land Foundation said: “The Pure Land Foundation is increasingly interested in what happens when a person is misunderstood, judged or reduced to one public moment, and in what it takes to recover a fuller account of who they are. Cinema asks an audience to stay with a life long enough for the fuller person to emerge. Supporting Liberatum Art & Cinema allowed the Pure Land Foundation to place those questions at the heart of a public cultural programme.”
The wider programme included a poetry recital by Iranian singer and songwriter Sevdaliza and the 2026 Liberatum Pioneer Awards. Marina Abramović, Daniels and Labaki were recognised for their work in performance art and cinema, with tributes delivered by Rossy de Palma, Debi Mazar and Berenson.
In his closing remarks, Bruno Wang linked the discussion to the Buddhist teaching of right speech. “Language is not always neutral,” he said. “The words that we use actually could shape perception, shape relationships and shape the reality.” He called for “a more humane culture of communication” where accountability, compassion and complexity can coexist alongside the possibility of transformation and growth.
