It’s the day of the verdicts for Venezia 78. Predictions are swirling. Is this the year of Italian cinema? What about Almodóvar and Campion? Oscar Isaac will defeat Toni Servillo or the protagonist of The Hand of God and Qui rido io (not forgetting out of competition’s Ariaferma) will prevail? We’ll discover everything tonight. Venezia 78 already unveiled all the rest completing its program with the world premiere of the convincing Ridley Scott’s period kolossal The Last Duel, portrait of an extraordinary vital cinema ready to meet the audience again offering many different and most of them tasting flavours. Venice Film Festival gave us back a vital, innovative Italian movie industry full of well-told stories for all tastes.
It was not easy to build such a full, effective, plural and safe depiction. Alberto Barbera and Biennale President Roberto Cicutto did a wonderful job that does not end here but will export the image of a nation ready to pick the post-Covid opportunities of the vital cultural industry that interests hundred of millions of people. Venezia is now “the most important festival of the world” as many privileged observers wrote on these pages, but also said by a star and Leone d’oro alla carriera Jamie Lee Curtis who came for the first time in Venice this year.
The strength of Venice Film Festival has been remembering the world, like Walter Veltroni wrote yesterday on Ciak Daily, “waking up” media after months of numbness about the fact that cinema exists, it’s vital and loved by millions of people. And they must not be inexplicably obstructed by over punitive protocol rather than others of everyday life.
Now the movies must live the many theatres of the festival and spread across the country for all the moviegoers. It will be not easy and during the festival has been said that media, industry and government must do more. It’s true. But we all must give our contribution. Hoping that very soon this pleasure could be shared without vacant seats and no more face masks. If it will happen faster it will be because of Venezia 78.
