Venice director appeals for Regeni truth

Paolo Virzì

 VENICE- The film director, Paolo Virzì, spoke out Sunday evening about the case of Giulio Regeni at the Venice Film Festival. “The Italian flag has been stained with blood, and he is our hero”, said Virzì who was at the festival to present his new film “The Leisure Seeker”.

 This is not the first time the director has made his support known for Giulio and in the past has been seen wearing a yellow bracelet with “Verità per Giulio” written on it. At the festival, he expressed his desire to get to the bottom of the death of the Italian researcher in who was killed in Cairo between January and February 2016. “He is in our hearts and we as a country are proud of him”, he was quoted saying. Actress Jasmine Trinca was also seen sporting the same yellow bracelet at the film festival Aug. 30. 

 The appeal comes on the eve of the hearing of the head of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Angelino Alfano, who, on Monday, is set to come before the foreign commissions of Palazzo Madama and Montecitorio where they are supposed to have a meeting about the aforementioned case and the relationship between Italy and Egypt.  

 Virzì’s speech, however, had little to do with these institutional dynamics. “I am proud to be Italian because, from Italy, come young people such as Giulio Regeni. Intelligent, curious, competent, passionate and courageous”, explained the director.

 There have been further questions following an article, published by the New York Times in August. Journalist Declan Walsh suggested that the Renzi government had received proof from the United States that the Italian researcher had been murdered by the Egyptian military services, but that they had decided to not make this evidence public.

 Virzì concluded with the words that, as members of the same country, “we have a duty to get to the bottom of this story”. 

ES