Sound of too many hands clapping in Venice?

September 03, 2008 Italian consumer advocacy group Codacons on Wednesday called for "more honest" applause at the Venice Film Festival. The group did not blame the festival itself, but rather moviegoers associated with the filmmakers, who it said could be seeking to manipulate fans and jury members about the response to certain films by sparking unusually enthusiastic applause. Codacons called on the festival to prevent "fake applause" by refraining from selling blocks of tickets for single events -- a move that would make it harder for parties associated with the film to attend the same screening.

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