"As a filmmaker, my work can never be complete without (cinema) workers and the audiences they welcome."
As cinemas across Ireland are currently closed due to the outbreak of coronavirus, we've all been relying on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, and television in general.
To say that it's been tough on those who work in the exhibition industry is an understatement, but one person who's been an advocate for cinemas is Christopher Nolan, director of 'The Dark Knight', 'Inception', and the upcoming sci-fi thriller 'Tenet', due in cinemas this summer.
In a heartfelt op-ed in the Washington Post, Christopher Nolan spoke about the tough times cinemas are currently experiencing and reminds people that when the crisis abates, cinemas will need audiences to return. "When people think about movies," Nolan writes, "their minds first go to the stars, the studios, the glamour."
"But the movie business is about everybody: the people working the concession stands, running the equipment, taking tickets, booking movies, selling advertising and cleaning bathrooms in local theaters. Regular people, many paid hourly wages rather than a salary, earn a living running the most affordable and democratic of our community gathering places."
Nolan talked about the economic impact being felt by local cinemas across the US, using a local cinema in Missouri as an example. "These are places of joyful mingling where workers serve up stories and treats to the crowds that come to enjoy an evening out with friends and family. As a filmmaker, my work can never be complete without those workers and the audiences they welcome," Nolan states.
You can read the full piece here.