Jean-Marie Straub, radical filmmaker, dies at 89 in Swiss obscurity

Jean-Marie Straub, a filmmaker originally from France who lived in exile in Italy, passed away on November 21, 2022, in Rolle, Switzerland. His death was revealed by critic Roberto Silvestri on Facebook, as it went unreported by Italian media. Together with his partner Danièle Huillet, who passed away in 2006, Straub produced avant-garde films such as "Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach" (1968) and "Moses and Aaron" (1975), which are difficult to access in Italy. In 2006, they declined a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, citing issues with timing. After relocating to Italy in 1969, Straub distanced himself from prominent Italian filmmakers, and following Huillet's death, he concentrated on short films. Silvestri remarked that the lack of acknowledgment of his passing highlights the cultural poverty in Italy.