Fall usually marks the comeback of the film festival season, and several major festivals are taking place around the world amid the global pandemic. They marked the return of classic red carpet events and gave us several Oscar contenders, but is there anything about them that feels different?
Venice Film Festival and Deauville Film Festival both concluded this weekend, with Nomadland and The Nest taking top honors. Both festivals featured classic premieres, and the stars attending them hit the red carpet with face masks, before taking them off to pose for pictures, with photographers at the safe distance.
Will all the film festivals taking place this fall have a similar format? Not really. Toronto Film Festival is currently in full swing, and it’s a combination of physical and digital screenings, virtual red carpets, press conferences, and industry talks.
Many of the major festivals are expected to take a similar form this fall. AFI Fest is going online in October, New York Film Festival will feature drive-in and virtual screenings, while the London Film Festival is expected to offer 50 virtual premieres. Physical events will be available, but it’s highly unlikely we’ll get to witness the kind of spectacle that we saw in Venice.
