With each passing week, it becomes clearer and clearer what the new normal will look like for the film and entertainment industry during the global coronavirus pandemic. For instance, this year’s “Goes to Cannes” film lineup will have the films be screened online.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, aside from revealing their “Goes to Cannes” lineup, the Cannes Film Festival also revealed that the lineup for this works-in-progress section will go online on the Marché du Film Online platform.
The screenings will be held online on Jun. 22 and 23 alongside the virtual Marché du Film, which will run from Jun. 22 to 26. While film festival heads, distributors, and sales agents often meet with the people behind the projects face-to-face during the Cannes Film Festival, the global coronavirus pandemic has moved these meetings online. Industry professionals can meet online with the project’s representatives for a one-on-one discussion. Each session is expected to last for two hours.
Variety reports that the films to take part in this year’s lineup are Dear Immigrants: What Was Your First Meal? by Fei Pang Wong, The Borderlands by Samarth Mahajan, Born to Be Second by Jian Fan, Olympic Halftime by Haruna Honcoop, and Ningdu by Lei Lei.
Also included are Green Sea by Angeliki Antoniou, Dog by Yianna Americanou, Esperanto by Stratis Chatzielenoudas, If It’s Not O.K., It’s Not the End by Salvador Muñoz Saiz, and Made in Vain by Michael Klioumis.
Ten other films are also included from the New Horizons International Film Festival from Poland and the NFDC Film Bazaar from India.
This increased reliance on digital avenues from the Cannes Film Festival’s “Goes to Cannes” lineup is just one of the changes the event organizers have had to implement to adapt to the sweeping changes brought about by the global coronavirus pandemic. The Cannes Film Festival had earlier announced that they would be unable to hold the festival in June. The June dates themselves were already the Festival’s rescheduled dates.
Rather than hold a physical festival, Cannes could possibly collaborate with the Venice Film Festival, which is pushing through in September. Even the Venice Film Festival has had to adjust to the global coronavirus pandemic, with digital technology being used for foreign press participants.
More and more film and entertainment events may need to make adjustments like this one as the global coronavirus pandemic doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. According to the World Health Organization’s May 26 situation report, there are now 5,404512 confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world. Deaths are now at 343,514 people.