This past week brought another case of whiplash, as the entire US (and world) began to re-open, in spite of alarming spikes in cases in multiple states and countries. It’s as-if a large part of the world thinks back to the time when, just weeks ago, hospitals were reporting they had to stack up bodies in trailers because of the rapid death spiral, and thinks, “bored with that, time to move on.” I’m not talking about the protesters either – the reasons to protest are clear – but the rush to open everything else – especially to hang outside in NYC and drink in crowds of a size we didn’t see outside of Mardi Gras pre-virus – are nothing less than jaw-dropping. And my jaw can drop because I’m wearing my mask instead of using it as a double-chin holder.

In the film world, we are already seeing theaters open; the release of guidelines for productions to launch; a move by many festivals to an online, drive-in and hybrid models; and a general sense from many that we’re moving into some new normal. I have many worries about how successful this might all be, but you can’t fault people for trying to survive.
 
But the most important discussions in film these past weeks have been around diversity. We’re finally having the discussion a little bit louder, and there seems to be some genuine movement around changing the status quo. But while we’re seeing a lot of discussion, I wonder how we’re getting to action, fast enough in some of our most important spaces – not just the who is making the content, and who is on screen, and what stories are being told, but in the leadership and staffing at distributors, exhibitors and especially film festivals.