The 77th Venice International Film Festival organized by La Biennale di Venezia and directed by Alberto Barbera is being hosted inVenice Lido from September 2 -12, 2020 despite the Coronavirus pandemic.
Actor/Producer Cate Blanchett is the president of the International Jury of the Competition at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, which will assign the Golden Lion for Best Film, as well as other official awards.
Filmmaker Ann Hui and actress Tilda Swinton will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award.
La Biennale di Venezia, in collaboration with the public health authorities, has developed their anti-COVID-19 protection guidelines, to be enacted for the event with the purpose of guaranteeing the protection of all guests and visitors to the Venice Film Festival.
Measuring body temperature, sanitizing and disinfecting procedures
The area of the Venice Film Festival will be accessible at 9 points of entry from the street or the lagoon, which will be equipped with thermo-scanners to measure the body temperature of the participants who are admitted to the Film Festival area in various capacities. Access will be denied to anyone with a body temperature of 37.5°C or greater. Additional thermo-scanners for measuring body temperature will be located at the entrance to the movie theatres on the Lido that are located outside of the official Venice Film Festival area: the PalaBiennale, Astra, and new open-air Arenas. Sanitizing and disinfecting liquids and gels will be available for the public in all areas (screening rooms, entrances, and halls, meeting points, etc.)
Mandatory masks
Masks must be worn in all the screening rooms and theatres, both in the queue and when walking to one’s seat, and when seated throughout the entire screening. Masks must also be worn in all outdoor areas.
Social distancing in the screening rooms
The number of available seats will be reduced in all the screening rooms and theatres by alternating occupied and empty seats.
Reservation required for seating in the screening rooms – online Ticket Office
The public and all accredited visitors to the Venice Film Festival are required to reserve their seat in the screening rooms in advance online, on the Biennale di Venezia website www.labiennale.org. Tickets for the public will be sold exclusively online, to avoid queues.
The reservation procedure for accredited visitors will soon be available on www.labiennale.org.
Social distancing on the Red Carpet, for the public, and for all activities
A protocol for ensuring social distancing will be enacted on the Red Carpet for the delegations entering the Sala Grande, on the grandstands and at the photocalls for photographers, and in general for all other activities, encounters, and conferences, with numbered seats and reduced access to indoor areas. The public will not be allowed to attend the entrance of the delegations into the Sala Grande, in order to avoid possible gatherings.
Presence of public health authorities in the area
The area of the Venice Film Festival will, as always, have an emergency medical service organized by local health authorities at the disposal of the public, as in past editions, for all actions that are considered necessary.
Reduction of printed materials
Most of the information concerning the Venice Film Festival will be provided to the public in digital form, to reduce the distribution of printed material.
Special assistance to the delegations and the actors
The film delegations will have assistance for all their needs, transportation will be organized ad hoc to avoid gatherings, assistance will be guaranteed for access to health services if necessary.
Monitoring the provenance and tracing of all participants
Thorough and scrupulous monitoring is underway for the provenance of all guests, delegations, and accredited visitors to the Venice Film Festival with the purpose of guiding them and supporting them in applying the protocols. Furthermore, all guests and accredited visitors from countries outside the Schengen area, for whom this measure is required, have been asked to submit to testing for Covid-19 before their departure. A second test will be performed in Venice under the supervision of La Biennale, for those for whom this measure is necessary, in agreement with public health authorities. All the participants – accredited visitors, visitors with passes, tickets and subscriptions – will be traced upon admittance to the screening rooms or other functional areas inside the buildings.
