Cannes, but in different ‘form’? Organizers hint film festival will have to CHANGE as France extends Covid-19 shutdown

Organizers of the Cannes International Film Festival have not yet given up on holding it “one way or another” this summer, but have conceded it will be impossible in “its original form,” due to extended coronavirus lockdowns.

The festival, which serves as a springboard for a wide variety of films, was originally scheduled to start on May 12. Last month, the organizers announced they would postpone it to late June, after President Emmanuel Macron declared “war” on the coronavirus and locked down France. 

On Monday, however, Macron announced that the lockdown would be extended through May 11 and that restaurants, cafes, and other public gathering places – such as movie theaters – would remain closed until at least mid-July.

This has prompted the Cannes organizers to declare that the planned delay “is no longer an option.” Delaying it more would mean overlap with the Venice International Film Festival, scheduled for late August – assuming it too does not get canceled due to the pandemic.

“It is clearly difficult to assume that the Festival de Cannes could be held this year in its original form,” festival spokesman Alexandre Bourg said in a statement. Describing the event as “an essential pillar for the film industry,” Bourg said the organizers have been holding discussions with film professionals in France and abroad, exploring “all contingencies” to make Cannes 2020 “real, in [one] way or another.”

Once the health crisis is over, “we will have to reiterate and prove the importance of cinema and the role that its work, artists, professionals, film theaters and their audiences, play in our lives,” Bourg added.

Established in 1946, the Cannes festival has been canceled only once in its history, during the 1968 student rebellion. It has long been a key venue for major studios and independent filmmakers alike to debut their titles to the largest global gathering of film critics and journalists. Just last year, winning the coveted Palme d’Or for best film led Bong Joon-ho’s 'Parasite' to commercial success and a best picture Academy Award win at the Oscars.

A number of notable titles, ranging from Wes Anderson's 'The French Dispatch' and Pixar’s animated feature 'Soul' to the 'Top Gun' sequel 'Maverick,' were set to premiere at this year’s festival.

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