Cannes Film Festival will not take place in June, but they are still exploring the options
Is it possible to push 73th festival edition online? Or place it in a packed festival calendar at the end of the year.
Today, April 14th at 6pm CET Cannes Film Festival has issued a new press release regarding the possible late June/ early July Festival dates.
Following the French President’ statement, on Monday, April 13th, we acknowledged that the postponement of the 73rd International Cannes Film Festival, initially considered for the end of June to the beginning of July, is no longer an option.
It is clearly difficult to assume that the Festival de Cannes could be held this year in its original form.
Nevertheless, since yesterday evening we have started many discussions with professionals, in France and abroad. They agree that the Festival de Cannes, an essential pillar for the film industry, must explore all contingencies allowing to support the year of Cinema by making Cannes 2020 real, in a way or another.
When the health crisis, whose resolution remains the priority of all, passes, we will have to reiterate and prove the importance of cinema and the role that its work, artists, professionals, film theatres and their audiences, play in our lives. This is how the Festival de Cannes, the Marché du Film and the parallel sections (Semaine de la Critique, Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, ACID), intend to contribute. We are committed to it and we would like to thank everyone who is by our side, public officials (Cannes' City Hall, Ministry of Culture, the CNC), industry members as well as our partners.
Each and everyone knows that many uncertainties are still reigning over the international health situation. We hope to be able to communicate promptly regarding the shapes that this Cannes 2020 will take.
The Cannes statement comes the day after a televised address to the nation by French president Emmanuel Macron who said France’s lockdown would be extended until May 11, after which the aim was to progressively re-open workplaces and schools if the virus was under control. In the same address, Macron announced that public spaces as cinemas, theatres, concert halls and museums will remain closed until further notice.
Since its first edition after World War II in 1946, the Cannes Film Festival had only been cancelled once in 1968 during the nationwide student riots. Hypothesis about 73th edition of the festival either go towards advancing the festival online or pushing it back to the "Fall" (when the first editions of the festivals were held). As majority would agree online "Cannes" sounds unimaginable in its scale and with all following industry events, as well as it is losing the charm. The "Fall" scenario, on the other hand, could be problematic because September is already packed with other major festivals like Venice, Toronto and San Sebastian.
