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.
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.
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