"If Your Fall Festival Wants To Live, Come With Me."

It's almost June 1. And frankly, the festivals (Venice/Telluride/Toronto... and New York) are running out of time. What are they going to be in only three months?

We all have the same desire. For the festivals to go on, safely, with people sitting in theaters, watching movies. But circumstances are circumstances. The situation is not stable. No one can assure any state, town or group of festivalgoers of ANYTHING that will happen in late August and early September. The most committed filmmaker to opening his movie on screens this summer, Christopher Nolan, who has Tenet, put out a trailer this week without a date on it, even though they are on the calendar in seven weeks. For festival operators to proceed as though they can predict their future this year is nothing less than playing inverted Russian roulette, with one empty barrel and the rest loaded and ready to kill the thing we all love, the festival.

The problem is more than just putting people together in movie theaters. It's the ta…