Seymour Hersh poses for photographers in Venice, Aug. 29. Theo Wargo/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Things got unsurprisingly political in Venice on Friday as Seymour Hersh talked about the "existential crisis" facing America right now. Hersh, a celebrated American political writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, features in Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus' Lido-bound project Cover-Up, the out-of-competition political thriller that traces Hersh's explosive career, including his work exposing the 1968 My Lai massacre during the Vietnam war. "Cover-Up is both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence," the Venice Film Festival said, "revealing a cycle of impunity in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies." Related Stories General News Julia Roberts Says Humanity Is Losing "Art of Conversation" But Hopes 'After the Hunt' Can Turn That Around TV 'I Fought the Law' Star Sheridan Smith Put Herself "Through the Wringer" to Do Ann Ming's Story Justice The conversation quickly turned to our current day politics and in particular, Donald Trump, at the film's press conference. Hersh said: "There's still integrity in America right now but as somebody said recently, we're in existential crisis right now. And the president is a man who wants to be here for life. He wants to be commander of America. My belief is that's his absolute sole mission. He wants to not have another election, because under the Constitution he cannot.... That's what he's going to be doing for the next three years." Hersh continued: "And I will tell you, I don't have the kind of access to him, but I'm working on it.... This a bad time for America, and because of that, because of this man's megalomania and lack of information, it's a bad time for the world." When asked if her work could be viewed as a form of activism in such a polarized world, Poitras - who worked for The New York Times for a period - said no. "I don't agree with that statement. I think nonfiction is cinema, I think it's art, and I personally think I make art that's political...but I don't consider it to be activism." She said: "It's just telling something called truth, which is a hard thing to tell, particularly in America right now." Laura Poitras for Cover-Up in Venice. Theo Wargo/Getty Images Poitras was also asked about Kamala Harris losing the most recent presidential election and what's happened to the Democratic Party since. "I really feel like the United States has been a continuous problem [with] both political parties that get inherited.... That leads to the moment that we're in now. And a lot of it has to do with the failure of journalism and the lack of adversarial journalism that's asking hard questions - one of the things of the themes of this film is kind of cycles of impunity. These kind of atrocities are committed, they're forgotten, and no one's held accountable, and thus they happen again and thus we are where we are today." Hersh concurred. "It's a terrible problem, it really is." The conversation continued and covered a myriad of topics, from the war in Gaza to journalistic credibility and the need to pursue facts. Cover-Up premieres at the 2025 Venice Film Festival on Friday, Aug. 29. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Telluride 2025 Telluride: Richard Linklater on 'Nouvelle Vague,' Selling It to Netflix and France's Oscar Choice Venice Reviews 'Cover-Up' Review: Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus' Sharp, Sensitive Doc Brings Relentless Truth-Seeker Seymour Hersh Into Focus Venice Film Festival 2025 Luca Guadagnino Reveals Why He Used Woody Allen-Style Credits for #MeToo Film 'After the Hunt' The Devil Wears Prada 'Devil Wears Prada 2' Leaks Puts Spotlight on New York's Paparazzi Terminator Ridley Scott Says He Turned Down $20M Offer to Direct 'Terminator 3': "It's Not My Thing" Star Wars Riz Ahmed Reveals He Was Hospitalized After His Body "Gave Up" While Filming 'Rogue One' Telluride 2025 Telluride: Richard Linklater on 'Nouvelle Vague,' Selling It to Netflix and France's Oscar Choice Venice Reviews 'Cover-Up' Review: Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus' Sharp, Sensitive Doc Brings Relentless Truth-Seeker Seymour Hersh Into Focus Venice Film Festival 2025 Luca Guadagnino Reveals Why He Used Woody Allen-Style Credits for #MeToo Film 'After the Hunt' The Devil Wears Prada 'Devil Wears Prada 2' Leaks Puts Spotlight on New York's Paparazzi Terminator Ridley Scott Says He Turned Down $20M Offer to Direct 'Terminator 3': "It's Not My Thing" Star Wars Riz Ahmed Reveals He Was Hospitalized After His Body "Gave Up" While Filming 'Rogue One'