Venice Film Festival 2020’s best-dressed celebs: Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swintonlead the red carpet at world’s first international film competition since Covid-19 hit – video

Sep 15 , 2020

The 77th Venice International Film Festival featured safety measures like required face masks; director Pedro Almodóvar, actor Tilda Swinton, director Abel Ferrara, president of the jury Cate Blanchett, actor Vanessa Kirby, director Ann Hui, actor Katherine Waterston, director Malgorzata Szumowska, member of the jury Matt Dillon and actor Radha Mitchell don masks while posting at the festival. Photos: Reuters

Despite mandatory face masks and smart social distancing measures, Hollywood stars and indie auteurs still turned heads on the red carpet at the 77th Venice International Film Festival – setting a new model for global cultural happenings post-pandemic

Highlights on the world’s cultural calendar have been cancelled en masse this year in the wake of Covid-19. The 77th Venice International Film Festival, which took place from September 2 to 12, was the first international film competition to be held since the pandemic began – albeit a streamlined, semi-digital version. It was the perfect opportunity to see how social distancing would work at a high-profile event on a large scale. Attendees also had the privilege of feasting their eyes on red carpet fashion for the first time in nine months. As one of the premier events of the year, the festival is usually attended by over 10,000 guests from across the globe, from moviegoers to Hollywood A-listers. This year, however, event organisers made a conscious effort to keep the festival low key.

Italian models Delia Duran and Alex Belli attend the closing ceremony of the 77th Venice International Film Festival. Photo: LaPresse via ZUMA Press/DPA

Covid-19 safety measures

According to festival director Alberto Barbera, the festival served as a test for a film industry that is slowly kicking back into gear in a post-Covid-19 world. Preventative measures at the half-capacity event included face masks being required indoors, staggered seating in cinemas, reservations, temperature checks, and barring the public from the red carpet. Instead of tailing starlets on boats across Venice’s canals, the paparazzi were confined to designated zones on land.

Compliance with the festival’s safety measures appeared to be high and there have been no immediate reports of infections. Although considering that the event just ended, it’s too soon to judge the overall effectiveness of the festival’s approach.

“We were a little bit worried at the beginning, of course,” said Barbera. “We knew that we had a very strict plan of safety measures and we were pretty sure about that, but you never know.”

Actress and 77th Venice International Film Festival jury president Cate Blanchett with Hong Kong director Ann Hui at the premiere of Hui’s out-of-competition film Love After Love at the festival. Photo: EPA-EFE

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