Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, whose new film Father Mother Sister Brother is being released by Mubi, addressed the company’s controversial ties to the Israeli military during today’s Venice Film Festival press conference.
“I have spoken to Mubi about it,” Jarmusch said before explaining that he has “a very good relationship with [Mubi’s chief content officer] Jason Ropell who called him immediately when he lodged concerns. “My relationship with Mubi was started much before that, and they were fantastic to work with on this film. I was, of course, disappointed and quite disconcerted by this relationship.”
The arthouse distributor, which had a breakout hit in last year’s The Substance, is facing backlash for securing a $100 million investment from Sequoia Capital earlier this year. The company is reportedly a key investor in Israeli defense-tech startup Kela, which was founded by four veterans of Israeli intelligence units in response to the terror attacks of Oct. 7. A host of filmmakers linked with Mubi have signed a letter criticizing Mubi for the relationship. The subject came up during today’s press conference courtesy of a journalist from Screen International who noted that Jarmusch was among the signatories of a letter from the artists for ceasefire regarding Gaza, making it an even more relevant query.
Jarmusch suggested that the journalist who asked the question also reach out to Mubi as well. “I’m not the spokesman. However, yes, I was concerned. I also have a distribution agreement with Mubi for certain territories, which I also had entered into before my knowledge of this [investment]. But having said that, on a personal level, I have to say I’m an independent filmmaker, and I have taken money from various sources to to be able to realize my films. And I consider pretty much all corporate money is dirty money. And if you start analyzing each of these film companies and their financing structures, you’re going to find a lot of nasty dirt, so it’s all there.”
That said, Jarmusch went on to explain that independent artists such as himself shouldn’t be the ones to have to defend such a relationship. “We could avoid it and not make films at all, but the films are what I choose to carry. So yes, I’m concerned, but one thing I don’t like is that — and you have not done this — but putting the onus of the explanation of this on us, the artists. It’s not us, it’s Mubi you must address. … Not just Mubi but other companies as well.”
Directed by Jarmusch from his own script, Father Mother Sister Brother stars many of the auteur’s regulars including Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Sarah Greene, Indya Moore, Luka Sabbat and Françoise Lebrun.
Described as a triptych, the film contains three stories that all concern the relationships between adult children, their somewhat distant parent (or parents) and each other. Each of the three chapters takes place in the present and each in a different country. Father is set in the northeast United States, Mother in Dublin, and Sister Brother in Paris.
In his director’s statement released by the fest, Jarmusch states, “Father Mother Sister Brother is a kind of anti-action film, its subtle and quiet style carefully constructed to allow small details to accumulate — almost like flowers being carefully placed in three delicate arrangements. Collaborations with the masterful cinematographers Frederick Elmes and Yorick Le Saux, the brilliant editor Affonso Gonçalves, and other frequent collaborators elevate what started as words on a page into a form of pure cinema.”
The teaser, which just hit YouTube and is seen below, comes ahead of the film’s Venice Film Festival world premiere on Saturday, Aug. 30. Included on the roster of collaborators is Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello, credited as artistic director. Vaccarello has ramped up the house’s film ambitions in recent years. Father Mother Sister Brother will be released by Mubi in the U.S. on Dec. 24.
The 82nd Venice Film Festival runs Aug. 27-Sept. 6.