Amid much speculation, organizers of the Cannes Film Festival announced in March that the nearly two-week event would be postponed from May to late June, stretching into July. Now, less than a month later, it appears those summer dates are “no longer an option.”
A day after French President Emmanuel Macron extended the nation’s ban on large gatherings until at least mid-July, Cannes organizers issued a news release stating that “it is clearly difficult to assume that the Festival de Cannes could be held this year in its original form.” The festival, in addition to hosting its annual competition, presents a valuable opportunity for filmmakers to land distribution deals. While in-person negotiations will not take place this summer, the Hollywood Reporter reported that a virtual market called the Marché du Film will proceed as planned in late June.
Organizers seemed to hint at this virtual market in the Tuesday release, stating that they have been speaking with industry professionals and plan to “explore all contingencies allowing to support the year of Cinema by making Cannes 2020 real, in a way or another."
Cannes is the latest industry event to be impacted by a wave of postponements and cancellations that began in earnest with the early March axing of South by Southwest. Widely regarded as one of the most distinguished festivals in global cinema, Cannes operates alongside parallel programs including the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week — both of which have been canceled.
The festival made history last year when “Parasite” filmmaker Bong Joon-ho became the first South Korean director to win the Palme d’Or; it was set to do so again this year, with former Grand Prix winner Spike Lee serving as the first-ever black jury president. Speaking to Variety, festival director Thierry Frémaux ruled out the possibility of a virtual festival and competition.
“It’s impossible to project ourselves in the short term: the fall festivals could all get canceled, or we could start seeing a clearer sky with the arrival of summer,” Fremaux said, adding: “What each and everyone must understand is that if we fight, it’s not [for] the festival itself, but to support the economic relaunch of the whole sector, on a global scale — the films, the artists, the professionals, the theaters and their audiences.”
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