In Venice, Netflix takes the lion’s share

Special Envoy to Venice

On Wednesday August 31, during the opening press conference of the 79th Venice Film Festival, a journalist asked the angry question. “What do you plan to do to improve the seat reservation system?” It’s true, online ticketing is a gas plant that would make a Buddhist monk tear his hair out. But, at a time when gas is a rare commodity, it’s hard to complain about a festival-goer paid to see Venice and at worst die of boredom watching films. And, if the Mostra is a factory, it essentially produces dreams. “We had a difficult start, but everything is normalizing,” replied Alberto Barbera, artistic director who was very happy not to be questioned about the lack of parity or the hegemony of Netflix in the selection of the oldest international film festivals.

The Mostra celebrates its 90^e anniversary and displays insolent health, after two editions under health restrictions. With plenty of competition…