At this year’s Venice International Film Festival, the world premiere of Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Father Mother Sister Brother, was overshadowed by a heated debate over film financing, ethics, and the ongoing war in Gaza. The controversy centers on Mubi, the acclaimed film streaming service and distributor, which recently accepted a $100 million investment from Sequoia Capital—a venture capital firm with ties to Kela, an Israeli defense-tech startup founded by Israeli intelligence veterans after the attacks of October 7.
On September 1, 2025, Jarmusch addressed the issue head-on during a press conference for his film, which is competing for the coveted Golden Lion at Venice. With a lineup of stars including Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, Vicky Krieps, and Indya Moore by his side, Jarmusch did not mince words about his discomfort. “My relationship with Mubi 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, and I think really, if you want to discuss it, you have to address Mubi about it. I’m not the spokesman. However, yes, I was concerned,” he told reporters, as quoted by The Independent.
The director, celebrated for cult classics like Stranger Than Paradise and Dead Man, was quick to clarify that his distribution agreement with Mubi for certain territories was signed before he learned of the Sequoia Capital investment. “I also have a distribution agreement with Mubi for certain territories, which I also had entered into before my knowledge of this,” he said, according to Reuters. Jarmusch’s candor on the matter was matched by his broader critique of the film industry’s financial underpinnings. “I’m an independent filmmaker, and I have taken money from various sources to be able to realize my films. And I consider pretty much all corporate money [to be] dirty money. If you start analyzing each of these film companies and their financing structures, you’re going to find a lot of nasty dirt. It’s all there.”
Jarmusch’s remarks come after he joined over 100 artists in signing an open letter criticizing Mubi’s acceptance of the investment and calling on the company to denounce Sequoia Capital for “genocide profiteering.” The letter, as reported by The Independent, reflects a growing unease in the film community about the ethical implications of funding sources, especially against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war.
Indya Moore, one of the film’s stars and a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, echoed these concerns at the press conference. Moore, who was arrested in 2023 for participating in a protest demanding a ceasefire, spoke passionately about the challenges artists face in navigating the murky waters of ethical financing. “Since the genocide of Palestinians began, there has been an incredible amount of creative warfare and resource warfare behind the scenes,” Moore said. “The issue with the way people are trying to figure out how we are going to work at a capacity that is ethical and not enabling a systematic pipeline that funds these kinds of things to happen to people… a kind of due diligence that people are learning how to do is a developing process. These are not questions we’ve ever had to ask before, especially as independent artists. We’re all trying to figure out how to navigate this and survive. One thing is for sure: If you were to ask me, Indya, why did you work here or work there when this person is there or that entity is behind this thing? Most likely, I didn’t know.”
The atmosphere at Venice reflected the broader tensions roiling the film industry. The Israel-Gaza war has cast a shadow over the festival, with nearly 1,500 film industry figures signing an open letter urging the festival to take a stand over the conflict and actively promote Palestinian voices. However, festival director Alberto Barbera rejected calls to bar Israeli filmmakers, maintaining the festival’s commitment to artistic freedom and dialogue, as reported by Reuters.
As the controversy unfolded, Mubi’s leadership sought to distance the company from any suggestion of complicity in the war. In an open letter published in August, CEO Efe Cakarel wrote, “Following the investment from Sequoia, some have suggested that we are complicit in the events occurring in Gaza. These accusations are fundamentally at odds with the values we hold as individuals and as a company. Any suggestion that our work is connected to funding the war is simply untrue.” Mubi also stated in June that its investors, including Sequoia Capital, have helped the company grow but that their personal views do not reflect Mubi’s own, emphasizing that the company remains independent and founder-led.
Jarmusch, for his part, was clear that the responsibility for such decisions lies with the companies, not the independent artists caught in the crossfire. “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.”
The dilemma Jarmusch and his colleagues face is not unique. The financing of arthouse and independent films has always been fraught with ethical quandaries. As Jarmusch pointed out, “If you start analyzing each of these film companies and their financing structures, you’re going to find a lot of nasty dirt.” For many artists, the choice is between accepting imperfect funding or not making films at all—a reality that has only grown more complicated as global conflicts and corporate investments become increasingly intertwined.
Despite the controversy, Father Mother Sister Brother remains poised for a major release. The film, which explores the fraught relationships among estranged siblings and their emotionally distant parents, will arrive in U.S. theaters on December 24, 2025. For Jarmusch, the art itself remains paramount, even as he and his peers grapple with the implications of how it gets made.
As the debate over ethical film financing continues, the Venice Film Festival has become a microcosm of the larger conversation playing out across the arts. With the Israel-Gaza war ongoing and the film industry under scrutiny for its ties to controversial sources of funding, artists, companies, and audiences alike are being forced to reconsider what it means to create—and consume—art in an increasingly interconnected and conflicted world.
The questions raised in Venice this year are unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. But for Jarmusch, Moore, and the many others navigating these ethical minefields, the hope is that honest conversation and transparency will at least help chart a path forward—however uncertain it may be.
