Cinema has faced considerable challenges in recent years, and its future remains uncertain, according to French actress Isabelle Huppert. Speaking at the Venice Film Festival, where she leads the main jury, Huppert highlighted the industry’s ongoing struggles.
The Venice Film Festival, an 11-day event, is a crucial platform for filmmakers worldwide. It allows them to showcase work that might not otherwise gain global attention. However, beneath the glamour of the Venice Lido, industry veterans are concerned about cinema’s future.
“What concerns us all is that cinema continues to live on as much as possible. We know that it has been weakened in recent times,” Huppert stated at the festival’s traditional news conference. She emphasized the significant challenges faced by those creating films, noting the courage and determination required.
Huppert, 71, is not only a prominent actress but also helps run two small art house cinemas in Paris. Her extensive experience in the industry, with over 120 films and multiple awards, adds weight to her concerns about the industry’s future.
Global box office returns have seen some recovery, hitting nearly $34 billion in 2023, a 30.5% increase from 2022. However, this figure still falls short, about 15% below the average annual returns from 2017-2019. Alarmingly, sales have declined again in the United States, the world’s largest movie market.
US director Debra Granik, head of the jury for the festival’s experimental Horizons section, echoed Huppert’s sentiments. She expressed gratitude for addressing the “elephant in the room” during the festival’s opening. Granik underlined the importance of festivals in helping this art form thrive.
The Venice Film Festival kicked off with the premiere of Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ screened out of competition. The event concludes on September 7, with Huppert announcing the recipient of the top Golden Lion award.
The Venice Film Festival serves as a beacon of hope for the beleaguered cinema industry. As industry leaders like Huppert and Granik emphasize, the festival’s role in promoting and sustaining cinema is now more vital than ever.
Source: Rappler