Northern Italians, Southern Italians, and those in between.

Northern Italians
Northern Italians
National Park Gran Sasso in Abruzzo – The South

It’s not always easy to define what is north and south in a country that always was, and still is, very divided. Remember that the Kingdom of Italy was born as late as in 1861. And some parts were added after that. Venice, for example, together with all of Veneto was included in Italy after the third Italian war of independence, through a referendum in 1866.

The Italian language became understood in all of Italy more or less from 1914. When the first world war erupted, soldiers from southern- and northern Italy had to communicate in some way. And the common language was Italian. Before that, they spoke their local dialects. In Tuscany, they spoke Tuscan, in Sicily, Sicilian, and in Venice, Venetian. And the differences between the various languages are huge.

So, let’s decide where the borders are…

Northern ItaliansNorthern Italy is down to halfway between Florence and Bologna. That’s where Toscana begins From there down to a bit south of Rome is central Italy, and south of that is south.

  • Northern Italy – Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Emilia Romagna
  • Central Italy – Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, and Marche
  • Southern Italy and Islands – Abruzzo, Campania, Molise, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia

These borders are somewhat subjective, though. And there are really important variations between east and west as well… Come to think of it, there can be huge contrasts between the village on this side of the river and the village on the other side. Italy is extremely various.

A good friend of mine (American) made this consideration after visiting the Vinitaly in Verona

  • Italy has some of the finest wines in the world. The Italians would state, they are the best. The French, Spanish, Americans, and others wouldn’t buy into that. But I think anyone can agree that no other country in the world has such a variety and so many different styles of wines as Italy.

And the reason is, of course, the Variety of the country itself.

The divisive historical background.

northern italians
The Royal Palace of Caserta, close to Naples – Southern Italy

The great contrasts have also fed hostility and distrust. Just think about the hundreds of wars that have been fought between the medieval city-states, and their allies, domestic or foreign. And in the end, a unified Italy became possible only after crushing the very powerful Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

At the time, that Kingdom had the strongest navy in the whole Mediterranean sea, and one of the strongest armies. Defeating it was a key factor to be able to form the new nation. To get an idea of the importance it had for the new Italy, you just have to consider, that more than 70% of the new nation’s total net worth came from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Naples was by far the biggest city in Italy, and it was the third biggest in all of Europe, after London and Paris.

But after the birth of Italy, the south, as in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, was badly sacked. Some would say mutilated. But it was of extreme importance that it wouldn’t be able to rise again to form a threat to the newborn nation. And from there a sort of segregation started, and from a certain viewpoint, it’s continuing even today.

City Hall Trieste – Northern Italy

The northern Italians make up for 46% of the population, but produce 60% of the GDP. In the south, the GDP per capita is about half of the GDP per capita in the north. The flat part of north Italy from Turin, Milan, through Brescia, and Parma, until Bologna and Venice, is one of the richest parts of Europe. Southern Italy is one of the poorest.

What about the people who live in Italy, the Italians?

The northern Italians are spread out on an even more varied territory, than the southern- and central Italians. In the east, we have Trieste, an almost central European city. Similar to Ljubljana in Slovenia, and Graz in Austria… Or if you want Vienna and Prague. Going west you’ll find yourself on the southern slopes of the Alps with German-speaking areas, like Bolzano. In the west, there are the highest mountains in Europe with Monte Bianco on top of the list.

Going southeast from Monte Bianco, you pass the great industrial city, Turin, and then you hit Genoa and the Ligurian coast with crystal clear water and a mild climate. Heading eastward again, you will travel through the flattest part of all of Europe… The Po-valley.

La Pianura Padana – the Po-valley, was once seafloor. When it dried out it became an incredibly fertile vegetable garden.

fertile soil
The Po Valley – Northern Italy

So, the northern Italians have the best growing soil, the highest mountains, the best and most modern industries, and practically the only part of Italy where it’s easy to move around… It’s all flat, at least where it is flat.

And that made the northern Italians quite arrogant and cocky…?

No, actually they’re not. The northerners are not overbearing, presumptuous, or snobby. They are very down-to-earth, open-minded, and with a strong self-awareness. I’ve said it before, but the Italians, in general, are very easy to get along with. And they are generally very interested in other people from other countries and other cultures. Remember that Venice once was the center of the world. People from everywhere gathered there.

Sun-drenched Beaches in Puglia – Southern Italy

A simplified prejudice is that in northern Italy, they are hard-working, while the southern Italians are lazy. I, who know both sides very well, can honestly say that it’s not true. Another simplified prejudice is that in northern Italy they are square-minded and that they lack fantasy, flexibility, and ideas for inventions, while southerners have all that. No, not even that is true.

One thing that is true though, is that many from the south have come up north to seek employment. The reason for this is that after WW2 most industries were in the north… In Turin and Milan. But even Venetians went to Turin to work on the Fiat plant. There have always been movements inside the peninsula for work reasons, or for other reasons. That’s not new. 

The southern issue

There is a real issue though. There are differences that you’d notice if you travel through Italy. The northern Italians are not equal to their southern brothers and sisters. Just look at this Wiki. It’s a 20.000 words article all about the problems with north-south inequality. 

In the south the streets are worse, the hospitals are older, the trains are in worse shape, and the highways are fewer… And people make less money. The northern Italians claim that it’s because everything is cheaper in the south, and that is true. But it’s also a sign that something isn’t working as it should. 

The highest mountains in Europe – Northern Italy

The central administration is addressing the issue though. The governments of various political colors, try to compensate, and they try to push the two parts together. The bonding doesn’t happen as fast as some of us would like, but things are moving forward. The fight against organized crime and corruption is proceeding, and the infrastructure is getting better all the time. Cities like Bari, Naples, and Palermo, which until a few years ago were rumored to be dangerous and disorganized, are slowly being transformed into clean, friendly, and well-run tourist destinations.

I think all of Italy benefits from that.

So, there are no differences at all between the people in northern Italy and the southerners …?

It is impossible to generalize. Everybody is what he or she is, no more no less, if you come from this or there. First and furthermost we are all individuals.

Still as an answer to the question… Well, I would say two things. Two things that show if you’re from the south or from the north… Two things that could have consequences also for your personality and the way you confront life on our rolling ball out here, in the outskirts of the universe:

  1. The climate is better in the south. I’m sorry but that’s just how it is. South of Italy has mild winters, warm summers with often a soothing wind, and the smell of the open sea. I’m very sorry to say it, but Venice, my city, doesn’t have a nice climate. Winters are cold, wet, and windy, and summers are tropical, stagnant, and foul. It’s just a fact.
  2. The northerners have, if not very strong, at least to some extent, trust in the authorities… The police, the city council, the tax authorities, and the general practitioner, I could put it like this… When driving a car, the German citizen follows the white line of the lane even if it makes him take a longer route. The northern Italian follows the white line if it’s not inconvenient. If it is, then he’ll cross it. The southerner would cross it just for the sake of crossing it… And, of course, to fuck with those same authorities…
Naples – The South

What it is with the face masks?

italy face mask rules

Italy, face mask rules

So, we have a new decree. Actually not very new, it’s been around for more than a month. Face coverage is mandatory. First, it was only after 6 pm., but then they changed it to be in force all day around. You can take it off if you’re jogging in the park, if you’re riding your bike, or if you’re doing any other physically demanding activity. You should always keep it with you though so that you can put it on immediately if someone is closing in on you.

In Italy, face mask rules are a bit confusing. If you are cycling in the city, maybe you should put on your mask if you stop at a traffic light and there are other cyclists close to you… Or not. How many and how close is up to interpretation. And the difference between walking on the grass-strip on the other side of the street, and running in the huge forrest outside the city, isn’t easy to understand.

Anyway, what they’re trying to avoid are big crowds of mostly young people outside of bars and other establishments, drinking, talking, and having a good time. (… You can drink and chat but do not dare to have a good time. That would bring us all down.) There have been many of those situations this summer, and the authorities want to make sure the spread in those circumstances is stopped. Because the disease is accelerating. In just a month or two, Italy has gone from one of the countries that were best off in this second wave, to a truly unsustainable situation.

The first wave

I remember back in spring… I saw an interview with doctor Kim Woo-Ju, Professor in infectious diseases in South Korea. He was talking about the importance of face coverage, and why we, in the west, didn’t use it. Because at the beginning of the pandemic, not many western countries recommended their citizens to wear masks.

He said that in the west, it’s not in the everyday culture to wear a face mask. In China, Korea, Japan, and other countries in the east, wearing a face mask is normal even under normal circumstances.He argued that maybe the reason for the reluctance to recommend face coverage in the west was that we needed the masks for our medical personnel. In March and April, there actually was a huge shortage of all kinds of PPE all over the world.

Italy face-mask rules back in Spring.

I remember not one, but almost all of the western state immunologists and medical authorities, not recommending face masks. The masks were exclusively for doctors and nurses. Normal people should NOT wear a face covering.

The reason for this probably was just that, according to doc Woo-Ju. The PPE should be reserved for the hospitals.

italy face mask rulesIt was not because face masks didn’t help normal people. Because they do help. And it’s not really a very disputable idea. It’s something we’ve known for decades… Even centuries.

SARS CoV-1

In 2003 there was another Covid-epidemic, the SARS. More deadly but less contagious. It could have been called SARS CoV-1 as it was a sister virus to the present Coronavirus. That disease has been studied for years and the consensus among scientists is that the main indoor transmission occurred through aerosols, it was mainly airborne. Read this excellent article about airborne transmission.

And you can go even further back. Doctors have had an idea of the air around a sick person as foul, and contagious, for centuries. It was seemingly obvious, already at the beginning of 1900, that the one and only disease that has killed more people in human history than any other, Tuberculosis, spread through coughing and sneezing.

The Black death

And in Venice, the rampant Black Plague hit the city no less than 69 times between 1348 till 1799. Every time with unspeakable sufferings for the people of the city. In those days the microorganisms weren’t known. Bacterias, let alone viruses, were yet to be discovered, and more or less the only cure they had was to build churches and pray. Still, they knew two things:

1. The body of the sick or the dead was contagious. You mustn’t touch anything, and the bodies were burnt, not just buried.

2. The air around the bodies was contagious.

The Doctors Mask – A tourist-trap

One of the most famous symbols of Venice is the doctor’s mask, a white, complete face covering with a long nose. Inside the cavity of the nose of the mask, they stuffed herbs, soaked with oils, and tinctures, to prevent the air surrounding the sick from reaching the mouth or nose of the doctor. This probably made the examination of the patient more bearable for the doctor, as he smelled the herbs instead of the stench from the disease. But still, it probably had some effect on preventing the bacterias present in the air from reaching the mucus membrane of the doctor.

The difficult decisions…

So, if they had a fair idea of what a face mask does and what it’s good for, already back in the middle ages, why do we still doubt the utility of it today?

I’d say it’s the same reason we have fashion or trends. We want to be accepted, acknowledged, in-line, and maybe admired. We absolutely do not want to be laughed at and pointed at…

–   Look at that moron, there… He’s wearing a mask.

or…

–   Look at that moron there… He’s not wearing a mask.

Italy is one of the European countries with the highest usage of facemasks (Well, in Italy, face-mask rules make it mandatory, so it’s no brainer.). Sweden is one of the countries in Europe with the lowest usage of facemasks.

Two case studies

Italy and Sweden are dealing with exactly the same disease. Sweden has taken a slightly different path but the main issues are exactly the same… Stay away from other people, try to limit the spread of droplets, ventilate, and wash your hands. Still, in Sweden, practically nobody uses a face mask, while in Italy everybody uses a face mask. The distancing and the hand-washing are pretty much the same. The ventilation is bad in both countries, cause we’re in autumn with winds and rains and no one wants to be cold.

But boy, the use of face masks is completely different. There are light years between the two countries’ approach to covering or not covering the nose and mouth. The difference is not so much among the scientists, as among ordinary people and politicians.

… And is not about Sweden and Italy, it’s about all of us.

It’s absolutely wrong to point at individual countries, and maybe the mask-wearing in Italy and Sweden doesn’t matter in a hundred years from now, but it made me reflect. It made me think about why the stupid face mask is so darn difficult, so politicized, and so full of presumptions.

Now, are we so tied up in conventions, political correctness, and everyday habits that we can’t see the facts as they stand? Are we so locked in on what we are used to, that we can’t even take one small step off the straight path? And if so, isn’t that a huge problem when it comes to the human capability of resolving the truly big problems that we all have to face for the survival of this planet and the people on it?

Do we determine where we go, or do we just follow? 

italy face mask rules

Mose saved Venice from floodings on October 3.

high tide Venice

High tides in Venice.

Today, October 3, 2020, is a Biblical day for the high tides in Venice… Or the absence of them. The winds and the rains were whipping Venice. The temperature was high, summerish, and the high water season seemed to start out with a whopping 135 centimeters. 135 is high. You can’t walk over Saint Mark’s Square, not even in rubber boots. You would need waders.

high tide VeniceSo, we tugged in, started up the coffee machine, and prepared for a day inside.

But a saint came down from above, a miracle by the hands of MOSE, he who divided the red sea, and who shattered the Egyptian chariots with his staff, thousands of years ago.

Well, no, not that Mose. But another, a technically advanced Avant-guard solution, with enormous sluice ports on the bedrock of the lagoon… Ready to rise up and close the gates to the Adriatic sea. A billion euro savior for the floating city.

The MOSE is operative. 

The forecast was for 135 centimeters, later 130, at 12.05 pm. At 8.45 the authorities started the procedure. Technicians had been working all night to make the necessary preparations, and at the first sun, the 78 gates were ready. Immediately after that the ships waiting to enter or to exit were all ordered to anchor and wait.

MOSE VeniceAt 9.52 am, all the gates were up and the closure of the lagoon was enabled. At that time the water level was ca. 70 centimeter. That level was kept in Venice during the whole flood cycle. Inside the city, it never reached 75 centimeters, and we could confirm that the gates really closed off the sea, and prevented it from coming in.

We all went out, and we were all astonished about being able to walk around in shoes. For a thousand years Venice has been fighting off the regular high tides, she’s been soaked, flooded, and destroyed by the saltwater that every year threatens to consume her.

High tides in Venice – The MOSE deniers.

I have to confess… I was one of them. And maybe I still am. But today my opponents have achieved a very strong argument. Because today wasn’t a test, it wasn’t just rising the sluice-ports on a beautiful summer day to see if it could be done at all. No, today was the real deal, the actual, fierce enemy…The whole Mediterranean trying to enter Venice. No mitigating circumstances, no staged show-off in front of the cameras.

Today it was in bad conditions, it was windy, and the tide was high… Not a little over the normal, but well over a normal high water. It never reached 135 centimeters, but the 129 actual centimeters would have been enough to put half the city is under water.

So it was with metaphysical awe we walked around in Venice, down to Saint Mark’s Square, over Rialto, San Polo. We all felt that we were part of something historically important. In a hundred years, maybe they will talk about this day, the 3rd of October, 2020, as the day when the high tides in Venice were defeated.

But it still isn’t ready.

July 10, the total of the 78 gates was up and functional. But even though it was a calm day without any Venice high tides for miles around, the problems persisted. 6 of the sluice port didn’t settle into their housings after the test.

high tide VeniceThe Commissioner for the MOSE project, and commanding chief of the operations, Elisabetta Spitz, said at that moment:

  • The MOSE won’t be ready until the end of 2021. 

All the politicians present, the Major, Luigi Brugnaro, and the President of Veneto, Luca Zaia, coughed and tried to smooth over saying that they would do their best to have it up and running by fall.

I think we, the bystanders, all thought…

  • Yeah, right… If you can get it working at all, let alone by the end of next year… Then I’ll eat my hat.

I’m still not convinced that this will save my city, but I have to admit… It’s impressive. They’ve really succeeded in doing something extraordinary. Elisabetta Spitz deserves respect.

But anyway, it was just a test.

Venice Autumn 2019

Already tomorrow the forecasts are for 115 centimeters, but the MOSE won’t be raised. We will not be able to put away our rubber boots for good. The city will still suffer floodings. At least until December 2021.

But after that…? Will Venice once and for all be dry? Will the high tides in Venice become something that we will tell our kids and grandchildren?

  • You may not believe this, but once upon a time, Venice was full of water.
  • But Grandpa…. How’s that possible?
  • It was a constant struggle. A few times every year, we couldn’t even walk around without rubber boots… And on Saint Mark’s Square, the were Gondolas… in the middle of the Square…
  • Nah… Come on… You’re kidding me…

COVID positives in Venice

COVID positives in Venice

Rising numbers of COVID positives in Venice

We have an increase in the numbers of COVID positives in Venice. On August 6 there were a little more than 12.000 positives in Italy. Now there are 32.000. There’s no doubt that these figures reflect the loosening of the lockdown measures. It’s not as dramatic as in some other European countries, but it’s significant.

And it’s what we could have expected. We’ve been at home and not seeing anybody for months. Now we’ve opened up, gone out, moved around, and the virus has had much more possibility to spread. It’s a normal consequence of lowering the guard. From now on, it will be a difficult balance between safety measures, and the urge to get the wheels spinning again.

coronavirus venice

The Italians have been adequately good at respecting the rules. We’ve had almost 90% mask-wearing, and people have avoided gatherings to a certain extent. From summer, from maybe July, people have been less rigorous in their social distancing though. As in all the other countries, this trend has been mostly among young people.

Although Venice was still pretty empty in July, we could already see crowds of teenagers and young adults moving around in groups… Mostly without masks and very close to one another. On the land side in Mestre, in Padova, and Treviso, the crowds could reach impressive numbers. And the beaches in Jesolo were packed with people trying to cool off some of the summer heat.

The COVID positives are mostly young people.

A TV team from the Italian State TV, Rai 1, went over to Croazia and filmed the partying with a hidden camera. At one of the mega-discotheques, there were hundreds, if not thousands of young people dancing

  • COVID doesn’t exist anymore. It’s gone, one Italian girl said spinning away into the summer night.

The average age of those testing positive has gone from 56 years in March, to under 30 now.

The discotheques are closed from July 17. It’s funny why they were allowed at all in the first place. The whole idea with a discotheque – At least in my time, a few years ago – is to get as close as possible to the other person. Not to stay far away. And the music makes speaking difficult. You have to scream. And we know that screaming increases the number of droplets.  

There are fewer deaths…

Fortunately, death rates are much lower now. Not a little lower but a whole lot lower. That makes a lot of people reason that the virus has lost its strength. I wish that was true, but I can’t see it. The total numbers in the whole world don’t confirm that.

  • From mid-July, the daily new cases have been 250.000 – 300.000 globally.
  • In the same period, daily deaths have been approximately 6000 globally. It hasn’t changed much since the middle of July.
  • In April the daily cases were under 100.000 but deaths were still slightly higher.
  • But in Italy, the death rate is much lower than in March ad April.

So the virus is weaker, less lethal now?

No, not really. The lesser death rate depends on other factors

  • The age of those who are testing positive to Covid-19 has gone down dramatically. And the younger a person is, the less severe the disease is and the less severe symptoms he or she will have. 
  • The lower average age is partly a result of more frequent testing. In the beginning, practically only people with symptoms got tested. Now many without any symptoms whatsoever are being tested for reasons of containment. The more frequent testing also lowers the death rate, as many of the asymptomatic never got tested in April, but they are now.
  • The lower death rates are also a result of a better understanding of the disease and better treatments. But there are many fewer patients to treat now, as not as many get severe symptoms that require hospitalization. 
  • Another reason why the deaths are fewer now is one very interesting conclusion. Recent studies show that mask-wearing not only protects the other person as it limits much of the droplets coming out… But it actually also limits the amount of virus load that the mask-wearer inhales. And the number of viruses seems to have an impact on the severity of the infection. We still get sick, but the mask lets us be less sick, with a much higher possibility to pull through. 
  • We are now in the beginning of the next wave. It is likely that death rates will increase with time.
  • Another reason that would be very positive,  is that maybe the death rate never was as high as we thought in the beginning. The 6, 7,  or 8 percent of people who got sick that died, maybe wasn’t more than 1, or 2. Or even lower than that. Some estimates point in that direction.
  • And finally… I gotta say this one too, although it’s not an explanation to the lower death rate. But it could possibly lower it even further if it got implemented more. A Spanish study shows that Vitamin D in the treatment of COVID-patients could significantly lower the risk of getting severely ill or die. Here’s a link to the D-vitamin study.

Do you remember? This is how it was…

COVID positives rise but the Government strikes back.

The Government has imposed new regulations to try and contain this new tendency. As I said before, the discotheques are closed. It’s also mandatory to wear a mask even outdoors if you’re in an area where social distancing could be difficult. And the football (soccer) matches are played without public. For someone who’s not Italian, it’s very difficult to imagine what that means.

For a normal Italian man, three things are important in this earthly life:

Football, Football, and Football.

For you wonderful people, who intend to come and visit us, there are new restrictions to be aware of. The Italian Government is obviously terrorized that the situation develops into something similar to what it’s like in Spain… Or in France for that matter.

We’re running out of tools.

COVID positives in VeniceThe problem now is that we don’t have the lockdown measure anymore. We’ve already played that card and it didn’t have the effect we wanted it to have. We’re sort of back on square one. What they will do now is to try and contain the outbreaks as well as they can. Isolate everybody and track their connections… But keep the industry rolling.

That will just work until a certain point though. When the outbreaks are too many, you will have to surrender. And that is what seems to be happening in Spain. 

Isabel Díaz Ayuso the President of Madrid said on Wednesday 2: “Practically all the children about to return to school in the region are likely to pick up the virus over the coming months”. That is like saying… We can’t do anything more now. They’re all gonna get it, so be aware. Lock up your old and sick and let the storm pass. 

And maybe we’re moving towards that kind of strategy, all over Europe. We don’t have any more firepower, so we just have to wait it out.COVID positives in Venice

… Just like they did in Sweden. 

But Sweden now has a lower death toll per million inhabitants than both Denmark and Norway. So they were right all along, and all the rest of the world was wrong?

I’ve been very hard on them ever since the first outrageous comments from Anders Tegnell, the chief architect of the Swedish heard-immunity-project. They’ve sacrificed their old and sick, just to keep the factories going. A very cynical response to a pandemic that involves the whole world and still kills thousands of people every day.

But now, when we down here don’t really know what else we can do… Maybe they were right all along?

Then again, we have three major pharmaceutical companies that are in phase 3 studies right now. One of them claims that they will have a vaccine ready at the end of October. They are already producing it. If that’s the case, then we just have to stand the ground for another month or two, and we’ll be out of it. At least we in the west, who can pay and pre-order.

… And maybe, just maybe we have all learned something from all of this… Or?

Here’s all you need to know about travel restrictions.

COVID positives in VeniceDisclaimer. I’m sorry that I insist on this depressing subject. I could have talked about all the positive stuff going on because there are such things too. But no. I have to keep repeating the bad news like a doomsday priest from the middle ages.

Ok… I get the message. The next blog post will be all sunshine, I promise.

Venice Film Festival 2020

venice film festival 2020

Venice Film Festival 2020

venice film festival 2020

Venice Film Festival 2020 was uncertain for quite some time. It wasn’t until July that the restrictions of the Italian borders were lifted and even today, most countries’ citizens are not allowed to enter the national territory. Fortunately, we live in a Cyber-age, and images, both still and videos, move just as effortless over boundaries as storm clouds.

The general situation, and especially the last week’s increase in Covid.cases in Italy and in other European countries, has forced the organizers to come up with new ideas to contain the disease and protect the public and the participants, actors, and directors, etc.

It will be a festival like one we haven’t seen before.

The number of participants has been moderated somewhat and there will be a few other changes to minimize any risk connected to the current pandemic:

  • The dates are September 2 – 12.
  • Venice Classics was included in the Il Cinema Ritrovato-festival in Bologna, at the end of August.
  • Venice 77 (The official competition), Orizzonti (Horizons), and Out of competition are confirmed and will be shown at the traditional Palace of Cinema at Lido. 
  • The total number of films is around 60.
  • Sconfini will not take place. 
  • Documentaries on cinema will not take place

venice film festival 2020This is how many films there will be.

Check out the titles here.

  • In the main competition 18 (2019 there were 21)
  • Out of competition 23 (2019 there were 24)
  • Orizzonti (Horizons) 19 (2019 there were 19)
  • Short films 12 (2019 there were 13)

So, the difference isn’t all that big. I think the main contrast to an ordinary year, will be the number of people… Both the film stars and the public. It will be a calm and tranquil event, compared to what’s normal.

Cate Blanchett

The Australian superstar will spread some starlight onto the festival, as the President of the Jury. Looking at the participant films, I don’t think last year’s heated debates about directors would arise. And Polanski is back in Paris, where he will have to contemplate over the sentence by a Judge to not restore his membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Polanski sued in April 2019, asking the court to compel the Academy to make him a member in good standing again.

Though, some things are already moving. What is a great Festival without a mandatory scandal?

Le Sorelle Macaluso (The Macaluso sisters), a film by the Italian director Emma Dante, is scrutinized. It is claimed that a supposedly explicit screenshot, showing a young girl in underwear in a room full of pigeons, is the official poster for the Venice Film Festival 2020. The official poster of the festival is this one, though. They are always paintings, never photos.

Together with Mrs. Blanchett in the Jury, there will be the American actor Matt Dillon, as well as Veronika FranzJoanna Hogg, Nicola Lagioia, Christian Petzold, and Ludivine Sagnier

More options to visit the festival online.

venice film festival 2020Festival Scope will show 15 of the films in the sections Horizons, Out of Competition, and Biennale College Cinema free of charge. Not the main competition, but it’s a great way to get acquainted with some of the participants from home. You just create an account and you will be able to see the films. Here’s the link.

The films

The organizers have tried very hard to assure the quality of the festival. Although the times are what they are, and the overwhelming crisis has made it difficult to manage such a big event, the Venice film festival 2020 is definitely a valid manifestation. Some countries are more penalized by the pandemic. 

Obviously, the USA has fewer films on the list. And as the United States still is the major film producer in the world, that means a significant draw-back. But looking at the titles, I’d say that the festival board with the president, Alberto Barbera, has managed to compensate very well.

And many countries have had entries canceled or postponed. In short, the festival has a slightly more European weight. There are still many interesting names in the Venice film festival of 2020.

Majid Majidi (India), Nicole Garzia (France), Gianfranco Rosi (Italy-USA) Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan), (Nope, no relative to Akira). These excellent artists, as well as others certainly will not let us down.  

And some Americans are contributing even if we’ll have to wait and see if they will come over in person.

Security at the Venice film festival 2020.

There are quite a lot of special rules. To avoid any transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus the Venice film festival 2020 will be very different from previous years. And anybody who would like to attend will have to be prepared. Here’s a list of everything you should know before buying a ticket:Crowded Film Festival

  • The Red Carpet. There will be no possibility for the public to witness the access of delegations to the Main Hal at the Film Place at Lido. For photographers and other authorized personnel, there will be a strict protocol for distancing.
  • Access. The area of the Venice film festival 2020-area will be accessed through 9 road/lagoon gates. These gates will be equipped with a system for measuring body temperature. In case of temperature over 37,5° celsius (98,6°F), access will be denied.
  • Tickets. All tickets will have to be booked in advance online. No tickets will be sold through ticket offices. Here’s the link.
  • Printed materials. Most of the information concerning the festival will be given to the public in electronic format, reducing the distribution of printed materials.
  • Every second seat will be empty during screening. 
  • In all public areas, hand sanitizers are available. 
  • Mask wearing is mandatory inside and outside.
  • Testings. Guests and accredited guests from non-Schengen countries are requested to test for Covid-19 in accordance with the regulations for entering Italy. The test is to be carried out before departure. A second swab will be carried out in Venice by the Biennale, again only for those for whom testing is required.
  • Tracking of all participants. All participants – accredited, holders of passes, tickets, and season tickets – will be tracked while accessing the rooms or other functional areas within the buildings.

The films at the Venice film festival 2020

Venezia77, the main section

  • Amants, by Nicole Garcia (France)
  • The Disciple, by Chaitanya Tamhane (India)
  • Dorogie tovarišči, by Andrej Končalovskij (Russia)
  • Khōrshīd, by Majid Majidi (Iran)
  • Laila in Haifa, by Amos Gitai (Israel, France)
  • Miss Marx, by Susanna Nicchiarelli (Italy, Belgium)
  • Nomadland, by Chloé Zhao (USA)
  • Notturno, by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, France, and Germany)
  • Nuevo orden, by Michel Franco (Mexico, France)
  • Padrenostro, by Claudio Noce (Italy)
  • Pieces of a Woman, by Kornél Mundruczó (Canada, Hungary)
  • Quo Vadis, Aida?, by Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France)
  • Səpələnmiş ölümlər arasında, by Hilal Baydarov (Azerbaijan, Mexico, USA)
  • Śniegu już nigdy nie będzie, by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert (Polonia, Germania)
  • Le sorelle Macaluso, by Emma Dante (Italia)
  • Supai no tsuma, by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Giappone)
  • Und morgen die ganze Welt, by Julia von Heinz (Germania, Francia)
  • The World To Come, by Mona Fastvold (Stati Uniti d’America)

Venice Film Festival 2020 – Out of competition

Fiction

  • Assandira, by Salvatore Mereu (Italy)
  • The Duke, by Roger Michell (UK)
  • Dì yī lú xiāng, by Ann Hui (China)
  • The Human Voice, by Pedro Almodóvar  (Spain)
  • Lacci, by Daniele Luchetti (Italy)
  • Lasciami andare, by Stefano Mordini (Italy)
  • Nag-won-ui bam, by Park Hoong-jung (South Korea)
  • Mandibules, by Quentin Dupieux (France, Belgium)
  • Mosquito State, by Filip Jan Rymsza (Poland)
  • One Night in Miami, by Regina King (USA)
  • Run Hide Fight, by Kyle Rankin (USA)

Non-Fiction

  • City Hall, by Frederick Wiseman (USA)
  • Crazy, Not Insane, by Alex Gibney (USA)
  • Final Account, by Luke Holland (UK)
  • Fiori, fiori, fiori!, by Luca Guadagnino (Italy)
  • Greta, by Nathan Grossman (Sweden)
  • Hopper/Welles,by Orson Welles (USA)
  • Molecole, by Andrea Segre (Italy)
  • Narciso em férias,  by Renato Terra and Ricardo Calil (Brazil)
  • Paolo Conte, via con me, by Giorgio Verdelli (Italy)
  • Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, by Luca Guadagnino (Italy)
  • Sportin’ Life, by Abel Ferrara (Italy)
  • La verità su “La dolce vita”, by Giuseppe Pedersoli (Italy)

Venice Film Festival 2020 – Orizzonti / Horizons

  • Bùzhǐ bùxiū, by Wang Jing (China)
  • Dashte khamoush, by Ahmad Bahrami (Iran)
  • The Furnace,by Roderick MacKay (Australia)
  • Gaza mon amour, by Tarzan e Arab Nasser (Palestina, France, Germany, Qatar)
  • Guerra e pace, by Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti (Italy, Switzerland)
  • Jenayat-e bi deghat, by Shahram Mokri (Iran)
  • Lahi, hayop, by Lav Diaz (The Philippines)
  • Listen, by Ana Rocha de Sousa (UK, Portugal)
  • Mainstream, by Gia Coppola USA)
  • The Man Who Sold His Skin, by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland)
  • Mīla, by Christos Nikou (Greece, Poland, Slovenia)
  • Meel patthar, by Ivan Ayr (India)
  • Nowhere Special, by Uberto Pasolini (Italy, Romania, UK))
  • La nuit des rois, by Philippe Lacôte (Ivory coast, France, Canada)
  • I predatori,by Pietro Castellitto (Italy)
  • Sary mysyq, by Ádilhan Erjanov (Kazakstan, France)
  • Selva trágica, by Yulene Olaizola (Mexico, France, Colombia)
  • La troisième guerre, by Giovanni Aloi (France)
  • Zanka Contact,by Ismaël El Iraki (France, Marocco, Belgium)