As the Czech Republic claims Europe’s fastest-growing infection rate, with more than 8,000 new dailycases, a two-week shutdown of cinemas is stressing a sector that had been recovering amid easing restrictions.
“We want to present the argument that cinema distribution is an important economical part of the audiovisual industry,” said Slajer, adding that the film sector, which has adopted rigorous safety standards including mask wearing, daily virus tests and contact tracing, should not be throttled.As for cinemas, he said, virtual screenings are not a viable longterm alternative.
The group released its top 2020 hit, the Oscar-nominated Polish priest-imposter drama “Corpus Christi” by Jan Komasa, Sept. 24, following five months of delays caused by the Czech Republic’s first lockdown in spring. The Prague International Film Festival, also known as Febiofest, also succeeded despite a delay of six months, said artistic director Nikolaj Nikitin. Top honors at the fest went to Ivan Ostrochovsky’s religious drama “Servants,” while Danish film star Ulrich Thomsen was feted., meanwhile, announced last week its commitment to in-person screenings at a scaled down version of its traditional July spectacle, now slated for Nov. 18-21.
“Since May, I’ve been asked multiple times how much did the Corona crises cost us,” he said. “Our reply was that we have absolutely no idea because this was just the beginning.”