In Venice, it’s not politics as usual as film-makers aim to recapture our attention

Long Films, Short Attention: Venice Festival Tackles Europe’s Paradox

Wanderstayfinder.com – Europe finds itself navigating an economic landscape fundamentally different from the eurozone turbulence of the early 2000s. Where once economists relied on credit rating downgrades and borrowing cost fluctuations to gauge continental health, today’s metrics demand something more nuanced. Engagement depth and consumer trust now serve as the barometers of stability. The recent diplomatic friction surrounding Ceuta offers a vivid illustration of this shift—a crisis unfolding not merely through traditional political channels, but through the rapid-fire dynamics of digital attention.

The Ceuta Flashpoint and the Speed of Social Media

When more than seventy thousand individuals crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the month’s beginning, the response was swift and reactive. Rome quickly reinstated air and maritime border inspections with Spain for a thirty-day period. Madrid’s countermeasure involved spot-checking travelers bound for Italy. These political maneuvers mirrored the velocity of social media itself, where geopolitical events can transform from local incidents into continental crises within hours.

The phenomenon appears engineered as much as it is organic. Viral videos circulated online suggesting Spain’s border with Morocco was opening, triggering the mass movement. Meanwhile, accounts connected to Russian military interests amplified the narrative, framing the event as either an assault or invasion. As Aisha Down documented, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok operate on a simple principle: content that captures viewers within three seconds thrives. Lawmakers, accustomed to deliberative processes, struggle to match this acceleration.

Paradox of Expansion and Contraction

Yet a curious contradiction emerges. While our attention economy contracts under the weight of constant digital stimulation, it simultaneously expands through new forms of engagement. This paradox became evident while reviewing the programming for the Venice Film Festival, which commences on September 2. The Lido’s offerings challenge conventional viewing habits with works of considerable duration.

Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa presents Imperium, a three-hour examination of the Italian Communist party dispatching a camera team to the Soviet Union. American filmmaker Alex Gibney delivers Musk, a four-hour documentary portrait of the technology entrepreneur. Russian dissident journalists in exile receive extended treatment in Julia Loktev’s My Undesirable Friends: Part II, a video diary exceeding five hours. For those seeking even greater commitment, Luca Guadagnino’s Joie de Vivre offers a seven-hour meditation on Bernardo Bertolucci’s cinematic legacy.

Political Courage in the Age of Distraction

These extended works represent a deliberate counter-movement within a festival historically associated with glamour and spectacle. Loznitsa’s documentary dismantles lingering left-wing romanticism about the Soviet era. Loktev amplifies voices suppressed under Putin’s regime. Gibney’s examination of Musk has already provoked preemptive dismissal from the billionaire himself, who characterized the work as a hit job.

The question remains whether such ambitious durations risk alienating audiences beyond the dedicated cinephile community. Can films of this scale capture attention in an era defined by scrolling and swiping? Perhaps the answer lies not in choosing between extremes, but in finding balance.

A New Initiative for European Storytelling

The Guardian, collaborating with Franco-German cultural channel Arte, seeks to demonstrate that shorter formats can achieve profound impact. The partnership invites filmmakers to submit documentaries exploring contemporary European democracy. Winners will premiere at the DOK Leipzig film festival in late October, receiving funding, editorial assistance, and distribution through both organizations’ platforms.

Submissions must not exceed twenty minutes—a constraint that Jess Gormley, the Guardian’s executive producer of documentaries, describes as encouraging participation and debate. She references The Oath, a twenty-three-minute film by Liane Aviram and Louis Hollis about a Palestinian physician within Israel’s healthcare system. The work succeeded not by overwhelming viewers, but by holding their attention through focused storytelling. Its subject later received an invitation to address the UK parliament.

The submission deadline stands at September 14. This initiative reflects a broader recognition that meaningful engagement requires both depth and accessibility—qualities that neither seven-hour epics nor three-second clips can achieve alone.

“Encourages participation and debate” — Jess Gormley on the value of twenty-minute documentary format

For readers seeking comprehensive coverage of European affairs, the Guardian offers This Is Europe, delivered to inboxes every Wednesday. The publication continues to bridge the gap between traditional journalism and digital engagement, proving that attention—whether captured through extended cinema or concise documentary—remains Europe’s most valuable currency.