You may be wondering why certain celebrities are attending the 2023 Venice Film Festival despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

The strike specifically states that actors are not allowed to promote their own work during this time, yet, 10 big names are attending the Venice festival. The Venice Film Festival kicks off today.

Now, SAG-AFTRA has released a statement explaining why, and revealing why members should be supporting their fellow actors.

Keep reading to find out more…

Several movies and TV shows have been allowed to keep filming due to special Interim Agreements made between SAG-AFTRA and the productions. The same Interim Agreement applies to the stars headed to the Venice Film Festival, meaning, they’ve been given special permission to attend and they are not breaking any strike rules.

SAG-AFTRA said in a statement, “Some of our fellow members have been subject to negative comments for participating in projects with an Interim Agreement, particularly when it comes time for them to promote their work, including at festivals. Whether from within or without our organization, not only are remarks of this nature unhelpful to performers, but by dividing us, they do the AMPTP’s work for them.”

The statement added, “To be crystal clear, once an agreement is in place, we fully encourage all of our SAG-AFTRA members to work under that agreement AND to promote work made under that agreement. The more projects that get made with the Interim Agreement, the weaker the AMPTP becomes. So, let’s lift up our fellow performers who are out there working.”