A short press-conference clip from the Venice Film Festival went viral after an interviewer appeared to exclude Ayo Edebiri from a question about the future of Hollywood in a post-#MeToo and post-Black Lives Matter era, prompting Edebiri to interrupt and assert that the work of those movements is not finished.
The exchange occurred while Edebiri was onstage with Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield to promote Luca Guadagnino’s new film, After the Hunt. Italian journalist Federica Polidoro of ArtsLife TV asked, "What have we lost in the politically correct era, and what we have to expect in Hollywood after the #MeToo movement and the Black Lives Matter are done?" She then specified the question was for Roberts and Garfield.
Roberts asked Polidoro to repeat the question, saying, "With your sunglasses on, I can’t tell which of us you’re talking to." Polidoro reiterated that she was addressing Roberts and Garfield, and Edebiri then spoke up. "I know that that’s not for me, and I don’t know if it’s purposeful if it’s not for me… [but] I don’t think it’s done," Edebiri said. She added that while hashtags might be used less, the work of activists and others remains "really, really active." Garfield agreed that both movements were "still absolutely alive," and Roberts said the "work isn’t finished at all."
The clip, widely shared on social media, drew praise for Edebiri from users who said she handled the moment with composure. One user on X wrote that Edebiri "had to be gracious" because responding more forcefully might have prompted accusations of being "unprofessional" or "rude." Other posts criticized the interviewer for directing a question about racial justice and sexual misconduct to the two white actors on the panel while omitting the only woman of color present.
Polidoro posted a statement to Instagram on Sunday responding to the backlash. She said she had been "subjected to personal insults and attacks because of a question that, for some reason, was not well received by some members of the public." Polidoro wrote that she has interviewed "people of every background and ethnicity" and described her own family as "multi-ethnic, matriarchal, and feminist, with a significant history of immigration." She added, "In my view, the real racists are those who see racism everywhere and seek to muzzle journalism, limiting freedom of analysis, critical thinking, and the plurality of perspectives." The post did not explain why she had excluded Edebiri from the question.
Reaction to Polidoro’s statement on social media remained largely critical. Commenters urged accountability and an apology, noting that the question explicitly concerned people of color yet omitted Edebiri. Critics accused Polidoro of failing to acknowledge how the exchange appeared to marginalize the performer.
Edebiri, an Emmy winner known for her work on the television series The Bear, was 29 at the time of the festival; Roberts is 57 and Garfield 42. The New York Post reported it reached out to both Edebiri and Polidoro for comment. As of publication, neither had issued a public, extended comment beyond the Instagram post from Polidoro and Edebiri’s on-the-spot remarks during the interview.
The brief confrontation at the Venice Film Festival underscores ongoing tensions around how journalists frame questions about race and gender in public forums, and how public figures and audiences expect inclusivity when topics directly affect underrepresented communities. The exchange has continued to circulate as a focal point in conversations about press practices during high-profile film promotion events.
