Venice film festival to take place in spite of pandemic

VENICE: The decision to hold the Venice Film Festival despite the coronavirus pandemic is being hailed as a “sign of hope” for the movie world after months of closed cinemas, shuttered film sets and cancelled galas.

The rapid global spread of the virus forced major production companies to halt filming, and top silver-screen festivals to postpone or cancel their 2020 editions - including Venice’s historic rival Cannes, usually held in May.

Despite Italy being among the worst-hit countries, with over 33,000 deaths, the director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera, is defiant in the face of the disease, insisting the 77th edition of the “Mostra” will go ahead from September 2 to 12.

Italy has been slowly exiting its lockdown and organisers in the canal city are betting on a return to normality in the hardhit north of the country by the end of the summer.

The first post-coronavirus festival will nonetheless have to adopt new sanitary and social distancing rules.