George Clooney says art can be shield against authoritarianism

With authoritarianism on the rise, George Clooney, whose reputation has not only been limited to the acting realm but has also expanded into activism, has delivered a key speech.

While accepting the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement speech at the Venice Film Festival, he took the podium to shed light on how to push back fear with art.

He said, “We’re living through a moment in time where the people in charge and people with the most money are telling us to fear one another."

“But we know better than that, don’t we? Because history does teach us a lesson.”

According to Clooney, the authoritarians first come for journalists and artists, who are generally non-conformists.

“The first people that authoritarians try to shut down are not politicians," he continued.

"They’re journalists who ask questions; they’re the artists who refuse simple answers; the filmmakers, writers, actors and musicians who insist that someone you never met is deserving of your empathy.”

Then, the Ocean Eleven star pointed out that “stories are always dangerous to people who peddle in fear."

Capping off, Clooney summarised his remarks, stating, “So yes, movies don’t stop wars, they don’t lower inflation, and they don’t fix elections."

However, instead, the art can do "something remarkable". They remind us that a stranger is never a stranger and that he might be the hero in somebody else’s story."

"And if we can still sit together in the dark and care about people we’ve never met, I think we’ll be OK," Clooney concluded.