On Monday, a spokesperson confirmed the event will run in the Italian city as planned, following media reports on Sunday that Veneto’s governor Luca Zaia was giving the green light to the event. As reported last month, a decision was expected at the end of May. By contrast, the Architecture and Arts Biennale exhibitions have been postponed to 2021 and 2022.
As reported by Variety, which as WWD is owned by Penske Media Corporation, after surveying a wide range of film industry executives in early May to ask for concerns and suggestions about the upcoming edition, the festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera stated: “We know that it would be simply impossible to plan a festival without knowing if you all are willing to use the festival to give a new start and a strong sign for keeping cinema alive, even in these difficult times.” Barbera also asked producers and sales agents about “the concrete possibility of bringing (talent) to accompany the invited films.”