Cannes 2020 officially postponed; statement says 'July may no longer be possible'

With the number of Coronavirus cases mounting up to 1 lakh, France remains one of the worst-hit Coronavirus regions across the globe. The unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic has brought France to a standstill, as business operations have shut down and many important events have been cancelled. Recently, the organisers of the Cannes Film Festival released an official statement, which announced the postponement of the much-anticipated festival. Read Details.

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As huge theme parks and whole sports leagues around the world paused operations to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the authorities at the Cannes Film Festival have been reluctant to make an official declaration about this year’s event. However, the organisers recently acquiesced and released a statement saying that even a delay until the summer does not allow the festival to go on with all its typical pageantry. The statement hinted that the Cannes Film Festival will not be held in June end or July, given the circumstances.

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The statement reads: "Thierry Fremaux is not giving up. A sudden cancellation of the Festival de Cannes is not on the agenda. While postponement until the end of June or beginning of July may no longer be possible after Emmanuel Macron's pronouncements on Monday evening, which specified in particular that "large festivals and events with large audiences cannot take place before mid-July at the earliest" the General Delegate is still considering other options."

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The statement added "We are considering different formats, including a masked red carpet! But everyone understands, the situation is clear now: if a festival goes ahead, it will be because everything is going ahead, that life has gone back to normal. The exit from lockdown begins on May 11. We will see how that goes. But if the virus has not gone away properly by the summer, the authorities will not allow any mass event for a long time. In any case, since nothing can be considered before mid-July. This means that the first meetings would take place when the schools are due to go back in September. In what form, remains to be seen."

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(Image Credits: Festival De Cannes Website/ Statements taken from Festival De Cannes Website)