[custom_adv] Guests wear face masks as they wait for the start of the opening ceremony of the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival at the Venice Lido, Italy, Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2020. [custom_adv] The Venice Film Festival will go from Sept. 2 through Sept. 12. Italy was among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and the festival will serve as a celebration of its re-opening and a sign that the film world, largely on pause since March, is coming back as well. [custom_adv] On Venice’s opening night eight festival directors, including the Cannes boss Thierry Frémaux, will stand together in order to “reassert the importance of the art of cinema as a sign of solidarity towards the global film industry which has been hit hard by the pandemic”, according to a statement from the festival. [custom_adv] Venice has earned a reputation as an award season launchpad in recent years under its director Alberto Barbera, who is in charge for the final time in 2020. Last year Joker received an eight-minute standing ovation at its premiere and won the Golden Lion, which provided the momentum for Joaquin Phoenix to mount a successful Oscars campaign. [custom_adv] This year the lineup has fewer big names and major studios are staying away. The Oscars and the Baftas have been pushed back by two months with new dates set for April 2021, and studios have been forced to formulate new awards season strategies, with most deciding not to send their showcase films to festivals. [custom_adv] The Venice Film Festival is opening with strict safety measures in place for the industry's first international competition since the coronavirus hit, with 18 films vying to grab the top prize and help movie buffs forget the pandemic for a while. [custom_adv] At Wednesday's opening film, "Lacci" by Italian director Daniele Luchetti, the theatre was just half full with journalists, whose temperatures were taken before being allowed inside. [custom_adv] Organisers are hoping they can safely run the festival – due to go on until September 12 – despite coronavirus cases on the rise in Italy and neighbouring European countries. [custom_adv] Every entry point to the area of the festival in Venice will be equipped with thermo-scanners to measure the body temperature of participants to the festival in various capacities. According to their guidelines, anyone with a body temperature above 37.5°C (99.5°F) will be denied access.
