Celebrities appeal to save Rome's cinemas
From Isabella Rossellini to Léa Seydoux, from Alfonso Cuaron to Olivier Assayas, a long list of renowned directors and actors have signed an appeal launched by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jane Campion, Wes Anderson and Ari Aster urging President Sergio Mattarella and Premier Giorgia Meloni to prevent movie theatres that have been shut down in Rome and beyond to be converted into malls, among others, CE Report quotes ANSA.
The concern that have led many artists to mobilize over the past few weeks, already expressed by architect and Life Senator Renzo Piano, has been voiced in the United States, where Scorsese urged colleagues from around the world to sign the letter to "save the last possibility of redemption of one of the most important cultural and artistic cities of the world".
So far, the letter has been signed, among others, by Fanny Ardant, Pedro Costa, Mark Cousins, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, John Landis, Radu Mihaileanu, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Schrader, Damien Chazelle, John Turturro, Thomas Vinterberg, Debra Winger.
"As eloquently expressed by Renzo Piano" in his description of the "current situation in Rome", the attempt to reconvert "spaces intended for the possible cultural renaissance of the Eternal City into hotels, malls and supermarkets is totally unacceptable.
"Such a transformation would represent an irreparable loss: a deep profanation not only for the rich history of the city, but also for the cultural heritage to be left to future generations", said the appeal.
Scorsese, who first signed the letter, intends to "prevent any reconversion of Rome's cultural spaces".
"It is our duty to transform these abandoned 'cathedrals in the desert' into true temples of culture, places that are able to nourish the souls of both present and future generations", it concluded, calling for action to tackle an emergency affecting first of all the Piccolo America movie theatre in the capital.
