Cannes Film Festival gets postponed amid Coronavirus fears
Late June dates are being considered, but there is more details that are still unclear...
The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed. Organizers confirmed Thursday evening that the film festival will no longer take place during the scheduled dates of May 12-23, and several options are now being considered, including postponing the event until the end of June through to the beginning of July.
The decision to postpone, which comes as France remains in lockdown in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic, follows weeks of speculation around the fate of this year’s edition. The festival said in a statement:
At this time of global health crisis, our thoughts go to the victims of the Covid-19 and we express our solidarity with all of those who are fighting the disease.
As soon as the development of the French and international health situation will allow us to assess the real possibility, we will make our decision known, in accordance with our ongoing consultation with the French Government and Cannes’ City Hall, as well as with the Festival’s board members, film industry professionals and all the partners of the event.
In the meantime, the Festival de Cannes lends its vocal support to all of those who firmly call on everyone to respect the general lockdown, and ask to show solidarity in these difficult times for the entire world.
The festival press conference, originally scheduled for April 16, has also been delayed. Cannes is to announce the new date for the press conference when they reveal the exact timings of the festival.
It is also unclear what will happen to the Marché du Film, the film market that runs alongside the Cannes festival. Earlier this week, the Marché announced plans to set up a virtual market to "run alongside the physical event" for those who could not attend because of coronavirus concerns. It is likely the Marché will move its virtual event to match Cannes' new dates.
