L’amour is in the air again as French kissing returns on-screen

Actors have started kissing again on French film shoots, the country’s culture minister has said.

Franck Riester said kissing had resumed on sets where the actors had been tested for coronavirus.

And he insisted l’amour was not completely dead despite the pandemic.

The minister told French radio that while shooting in Europe’s biggest film industry was allowed to restart earlier this month, “they waited a bit before doing that kiss that is so important in cinema”.

Reister did not say which film or which actors were the first to get back to on-screen smooching.

“No, the kiss is not over with,” the politician declared when asked if physical distancing was in danger of killing off love scenes altogether.

French cinemas are to reopen on Monday after a three-month closure but with drastic distancing measures that mean they can never be more than half-full.