Venice International Film Festival 2021: How the Festival Found New Ways to Party Amid the Pandemic

The army of Hollywood executives, independent filmmakers, movie distributors and ordinary fans descending on the world’s oldest film festival this week sees Venice as a chance, after months of lockdown, closed cinemas and endless Zoom meetings, to celebrate the return of cinema. And for Venice, like for similar A-list festivals such as Cannes (held last month), Telluride and Toronto (both starting next week), celebration means parties.

But while there will be no shortage of glamourous films and head-turning celebrities in Venice — Timothée Chalamet, Penelópe Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Jamie Lee Curtis, Matt Damon and Kirsten Stewart are a small sampling of the paparazzi-bait expected on the Lido this year — COVID-era restrictions and safety concerns mean the festival party scene is changing. Packed, sweaty, dancing-to-five-in-the-morning-on-the- beach blowouts are out; intimate dinners for cast and crew are in.