VENICE (AP) — Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has joined a chorus of voices at the Venice Film Festival urging the reopening of movie theaters after…
VENICE (AP) — Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has joined a chorus of voices at the Venice Film Festival urging the reopening of movie theaters after coronavirus lockdowns, saying films are meant to be seen on the big screen, not at home. Venice organizers have prided themselves on pushing ahead with the festival despite the cumbersome and costly anti-virus restrictions that include protective masks during all screenings, theaters at a half or one-third capacity and rigorous temperature checks and sanitization. They went ahead with the first major in-person COVID-era film festival convinced they needed to chart a path forward for a film industry hard-hit by the lockdowns. Almodovar, who premiered his short film “The Human Voice” on Thursday, said streaming platforms had played an “essential role” in keeping people entertained during months of virus-required confinement at home. But he said they had also contributed to the “dangerous” phenomenon of people growing increasingly comfortable living, working and eating at home — a type of “imprisonment” that he said must be resisted.
