I was ready for the 2020 Venice Film Festival to be a disaster. Holding a major festival in what, just a few months back, was a global hotspot for coronavirus infections, felt incredibly risky.
After Cannes, Telluride and others canceled, Venice's plans to push ahead looked foolhardy. Even if a festival could be held safely, the logistics of ensuring proper hygiene — mandatory mask-wearing in cinemas, every second seat kept free, online booking, and temperature checks — threatened chaos.
Well, it is still early, but judging by the first few days, the Venice experiment has been a resounding success. Yes, there are fewer people, fewer films, and fewer stars.