“Cinemas and theatres are the safest, do not close them”. The Italian audiovisual world says no to the unjustified decision taken by the government to counter the Covid-19 pandemic. A new decree requires the closure of cinemas, theatres and concert venues at least until 24 November, reviving the nightmare of a new devastating blow for exhibitors and for the entire film industry, already severely tested.
Appeals asking the government to back down are multiplying at this time. In a research carried out by the AGIS (Italian General Association of Performing Arts), entertainment venues turned out to be among the safest spaces for social gatherings — data confirmed by the hundreds of screenings held safely at the Venice Film Festival and more recently at the Rome Film Fest, where no outbreaks have been recorded despite coinciding with a worrying increase in new infections.