ROME • The Venice Film Festival will go ahead as scheduled at the beginning of September, Mr Luca Zaia, the governor of the region around the Italian city said on Sunday, as the spread of the coronavirus in Italy slows.

Organised by the Biennale di Venezia company, Venice is the world's longest-running film festival. In January, it announced that Australian actress Cate Blanchett would preside over its 77th edition.

Due to the lockdowns imposed on the film industry across the world to limit the spread of the virus, the festival will probably be attended by fewer productions, said Mr Zaia, who is also a board member of the Biennale di Venezia.

The Cannes Film Festival was forced to postpone its latest edition this month due to the pandemic.

Italy plans to lift all travel curbs from next Wednesday and travellers from European Union countries will be able to enter without going into quarantine.

REUTERS