As many industries are suffering economically due to the coronavirus preventative measures, director Christopher Nolan pleads to the United States' Congress to allocate funds to movie theaters. State governments have passed legislation closing businesses like bars, movie theaters and malls due to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, causing these businesses to suffer and their employees to lose their jobs. Congress is beginning to discuss sending money to help struggling businesses, in particular the travel industry.
Nolan addresses Congress in an essay for The Washington Post asking that funds are allocated to movie theaters as well. Nolan explains in his piece that this is the biggest layoff in the history of movie theaters, leaving thousands of concession stand workers, ticket takers, movie bookers, and bathroom cleaners unemployed in addition to the Hollywood teams making the films. Since movie theaters have done the responsible thing of closing their doors to prevent the spread of coronavirus at their own expenses, Nolan asks that Congress financially assists an industry that provides a vital need during trying times like this: a sense of community.
"In addition to the help theater employees need from the government, the theatrical exhibition community needs strategic and forward-thinking partnership from the studios. The past few weeks have been a reminder, if we needed one, that there are parts of life that are far more important than going to the movies. But, when you consider what theaters provide, maybe not so many as you might think."
Nolan believes that movie theaters unite people by bringing them to a collective space and sharing stories that make people laugh, gasp and cry together. He argues that people will need movies after the coronavirus outbreak more than ever. Not only will people need movies as a means to escape the new depressing reality caused by the impact of the pandemic, people will be yearning the "collective human engagement" that movie theaters provide after spending months in quarantine. Congress has not yet addressed whether it will provide funds to movie theaters.
Source: The Washington Post