The festival in Venice aims to prove that cinema is alive, despite the strike in Hollywood. But without the usual array of world stars, that could be difficult.
Perhaps we can dare to make a prognosis as to how the opening gala at the 90th Venice Film Festival in late summer 2033 should be imagined. Walking the red carpet: the young Audrey Hepburn as a hologram because the artificial intelligence put her in her first science fiction film, which opens the festival; the bubbly youthful avatar of her actually 96-year-old co-star Jack Nicholson; plus, of course, Xy-74, the new star in cinemas created by Elon Musk’s completely manned brand new studio without having to pay royalties to heirs of faded stars. It’s a somewhat unfortunate fantasy for now, but artificial intelligence could make it possible, and unfortunately most things within the realm of possibility will eventually come to pass. The diversity of cinema will then be passé.