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Film

Film in the Time of Corona

October 16, 2020

We’ve been waiting a while for the new James Bond movie "No Time to Die." Scheduled for release in November, it’s been postponed yet again to early 2021 – a devastating blow for movie theaters.

https://p.dw.com/p/3k3DQ
Bildergalerie Persönlichkeiten 2020 | Daniel Craig
Image: Imago Images/Zuma Press/MGM

Covid-19 determines when and where movies are shown, when filming can take place and also, how stories are told. How should the screenplay of a romance look when kissing is taboo?

Arts.21 takes a look at how the virus is affecting the movie industry all around the world.


Movies theatres during corona

Hollywood film studios aren’t releasing their blockbusters. When will the new James Bond movie "No Time to Die" hit the big screen? And how can movie theaters survive without new releases? Are cinemas on the verge of dying? 

 

A new normal: Filming in the age of corona

Deutschland, Studio Babelsberg
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Settnik

Corona shut down many film productions. Now filmly has started up again, but under difficult conditions. Arts.21 visits a film studio in Bulgaria that produces Hollywood films, and experiences the new normal of the pandemic first hand. 
 

Indien Shahrukh Khan Schauspieler
Image: picture alliance/Mary Evans Picture Library

Crisis behind the curtains

The film world is more than just Hollywood. India’s "Bollywood" & Nigeria’s "Nollywood" make more movies annually than American film studios ever could. But what does corona mean for these countries? Arts.21 visits the real victims of the pandemic.  

 

No kissing allowed?

Filmfest Max Ophüls Preis Filmstill Skizze von Lou
Image: Festival Max Ophüls Preis/2:1 Film

Do screenplays have to be rewritten to adhere to corona regulations? What about body contact, whether tender or aggressive? Can sex still be represented at all? Arts. 21 meets a screenwriter who doesn’t have it easy these days. 

 

The new kings of the film industry?

Walt Disney | Schauspielerin Liu Yifei im Film "Mulan"
Image: Courtesy of Disney Enterprises Publicity

More and more films are being watched via computer. Streaming services have won big during the coronavirus pandemic. But what would it mean if Netflix and other streaming platforms were the kings of the film industry? 

 


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