Paolo Sorrentino Sounds Alarm For Cinema, Says He Has A Duty To Make A Movie For Theatrical Release – Marrakech
After Netflix-backed feature The Hand Of God, high-end drama The New Pope, and a recent TV adaptation of Italian play Sei Pezzi Facili for state Italian broadcaster Rai, Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino says he wants to reconnect with the cinema theatre.
“It’s a moment of confusion for movies. It’s not as easy to see good movies as it was a few years ago. This is a natural thing because of the difficulties brought to us by the pandemic and it will take us some time to understand this reality,” said the Italian director.
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Sorrentino was talking at a press conference at the Marrakech International Film Festival on Saturday, which he is attending as the president of a star-studded jury also featuring Diane Kruger, Nadine Labaki, Vanessa Kirby, Justin Kurzel, Tahar Rahim and Laïla Marrakchi.
“What is wonderful about our work, is that we can take on new challenges. Now the challenge for me is to do a movie for the cinema, for the big room. Like years ago, the challenge for me was to do a TV series. Now, that moment is over for me,” he said
“I would love to do a movie for the big room because there is a crisis of cinemas and I think it is our duty to do movies for the cinemas, to try to save the cinemas, exactly at this point where the platforms are having a huge success,” he continued.
“The platforms don’t need us in this moment. I had a wonderful experience with Netflix. I’m not against the platforms but it could be useful if we try to do movies for the cinemas after the pandemic and the crisis. In many countries, in Italy as well, we’re losing a lot of cinemas.”
Sorrentino’s comments in Marrakech echoed remarks he made in one of the debates on the future of cinema at the Cannes Film Festival this year, in which he said would not make another film with Netflix.
Clarifying his comments in Cannes, Sorrentino said he had nothing against the platforms, but rather, he had been trying to say that it was time for him as a director to get behind the big-screen theatrical experience.
“I didn’t do a polemic against the platforms. I can’t do that because my last movie was with a platform and it was a wonderful experience,” he said.
The Marrakech International Film Festival runs November 11-19.
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