The 77th edition of the festival is one of the first major cultural events to take place in Europe since the coronavirus pandemic took hold on the continent, with the Cannes Film Festival canceling its 2020 event in May.
Those safety measures include mandatory face masks, temperature checks, physical distancing during screenings and a wall built around the red carpet to keep the public away.
Tilda Swinton arrives for the festival’s opening ceremony and first screening holding a custom sea creature-inspired mask by artist James Merry. Credit: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
Actor and jury president Cate Blanchett greeted festival director Alberto Barbera by touching elbows, with both wearing masks. Blanchett paired hers with an Esteban Cortazar cape dress she had previously worn to the “Carol” premiere at the 2015 London Film Festival.
Elsewhere, model Taylor Hill hit the red carpet in an Etro crystal-embroidered floral chiffon gown, while Roberta Armani impressed in a vivid blue number from her uncle Giorgio’s namesake label.
The future of cinema
This year’s Venice Film Festival opened with the premiere of “Lacci,” a romantic drama directed by Daniele Luchetti. The movie, which is set in Naples and depicts a marriage on the brink, has been compared to Noah Baumbach’s 2019 hit “Marriage Story.” The festival will also see the premieres of movies including the Greta Thunberg biopic “Greta,” Pedro Almodóvar’s Swinton-led “The Human Voice,” the moody Frances McDormand road trip story “Nomadland,” and the period love story “The World to Come,” starring Vanessa Kirby, Katherine Waterston and Casey Affleck.
A brief history of the red carpet
On stage at the opening ceremony, festival director Barbera voiced his concern about the future of cinema, as the pandemic could give streaming services a further edge over theaters. “The feeling of watching a film on the large screen with other people is in the very nature of the film industry,” he said. “We have to support cinemas. Many are still closed today, others will never open again.”
While accepting her Lifetime Achievement award, Swinton emphasized the tenacity of the film industry: “To come to Venice, this year of all years, to celebrate immortal cinema and her defiant survival in the face of all the challenges that evolution might throw at her — as at us all — will be my sincere joy.”
This year’s Venice Film Festival is being held at the Venice Lido and runs from September 2-12, 2020.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the best looks from Venice Film Festival’s red carpet. The gallery will be updated throughout the event.