The illustrious Cannes Film Festival will not be partaking in a physical edition this year at all, and will instead unveil a selection of movies in early June and collaborate with several festivals in the fall, confirmed Variety.
The festival has chucked the idea of a virtual version of the festival, will be organizing a “redeployment ‘outside the walls’ (of Cannes).
“As of today, a physical edition seems complicated to organize, so we are going forward with an announcement of films from the (initial Official) Selection at the beginning of June,” said a spokesperson, echoing the words of Cannes’ director Thierry Fremaux.
Fremaux, who is an ardent supporter of theatres himself, has also vowed to help exhibitors get back in business this fall when the pandemic blow lessens. “The cinema and its industries are threatened. We will have to rebuild, affirm again its importance with energy, unity and solidarity,” he said in April.
According to Fremaux, Cannes will not be unveiling the whole of what should have been this year’s Official Selection – only a list of movies that were part of the roster and scheduled to be released in theaters between now and next spring will make the cut, and get a ‘Cannes 2020’ label.
Cannes will be showing its “labeled” films at festivals such as Toronto, Deauville, Angoulême, San Sebastian, New York, Busan and Fremaux’s own Lumière festival in Lyon.
