MOVIES - Dec. 8, 1989

Conditions Set for Spielberg: Venezuela has granted Steven Spielberg the rights to film in a fragile ecosystem but set conditions that Venezuelan officials say the Hollywood producer may not accept. Spielberg is trying to win the rights to film 30 days worth of scenes in a projected Walt Disney film entitled “Aracniphobia” in the restricted and fragile Gran Sabana area of southern Venezuela. It is home to dozens of plant and animal species that occur nowhere else on the planet, said environment ministry spokesman Luis Gonzalez. Although approving the film shoot, environment ministry officials set the following conditions: Certain scenes must be filmed from the air only; only a limited amount of personnel and equipment will be allowed into the area; overnight stays in the area are prohibited, and the film company must hand over an audio-visual record of their activities to the environment ministry. No date has been set for the projected shoot, and “so far there is no word whether the film company will accept the restrictions,” Gonzalez said.