Yes, the world seems to be on fire, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting just about every person on the planet. Combine that with the general craziness of world leaders (including Donald Trump) and the US experiencing protests tied to police brutality, and it would seem as if the world has a lot of pressing issues that dwarf the importance of cinemas and the theatrical experience. That being said, people love film, especially if you’re someone that regularly follows The Playlist. So, it’s perfectly okay to be upset theaters are still shut down and there seems to be no concrete plan about when they’ll all be up and running. And if you’re a filmmaker, that frustration and disappointment are even worse, as we see with Francis Lee, the director of the upcoming drama, “Ammonite.”
Lee has been awaiting word on when his upcoming feature, “Ammonite,” starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet, will have its world premiere. The highly-anticipated film seemed poised to be one of the big festival films of 2020, but that hasn’t exactly panned out with most of those events being canceled this year. As of now, Francis Lee is a filmmaker with a big film on his hands but no place to show it. And in a now-deleted tweet (via FilmUpdates), the director let his emotions out, as he showed his frustrations with theaters being shut down right now.
He tweeted, “I made a film. A film to be seen in a cinema, on the big screen, in the dark, with wonderful sound and an audience. This is why I made the film the way I made it. I can’t not be fucked off right now.”
READ MORE: ‘Ammonite’: Kate Winslet & Saoirse Ronan Period Romance Shows The “Power Of Touch & Hope”
This isn’t the first time Lee expressed disappointment about theaters being shut down. Back in June, after his feature was announced as part of Cannes’ Official Selections Of 2020 list, the filmmaker talked to Variety about the fact that “Ammonite” has an uncertain future when it comes to a theatrical release.
“We’re still discussing all of that,” he explained. “I’m deeply honored and thrilled to get the Cannes selection, but obviously it’s disappointing that there isn’t a physical festival to show the film. Until we can see what the landscape is going to be like, it’s difficult to put a date on it. But Neon and Lionsgate in the U.K. are very committed to a good theatrical run. We’ll try and make the best decisions, depending on what the world looks like.”
Sadly, it appears there’s more uncertainty now than when he made those original comments in June. With cases in the US spiking and theaters remaining closed (possibly until the fall…or later), it’s unclear when “Ammonite” will get that festival premiere or theatrical run. Of course, the film was recently selected as part of TIFF, so a big-screen premiere isn’t out of the question. We’ll just have to wait and see if the festival does actually happen as planned.