Thursday, March 28, 2024

Postponed Cannes Film Festival Won’t Happen in June, and Probably Not This Year, Also, Let’s Face It, Venice is Unlikely

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Everyone is holding onto shreds of hope that a film festival will happen this year. Listen, no, I’m sorry to be a buzz kill but let’s accept it.

The Cannes Film Festival thought it would go in June after postponing from May. But that’s not happening now. Last week the French government sent a private plane back to London after a bunch of nudnik rich people were trying to get to a villa in Cannes. You think Macron is going to have thousands of people in movie theaters soon? Uh, no.

“Following the French President’s statement, on Monday, April 13th, we acknowledged that the postponement of the 73rd International Cannes Film Festival, initially considered for the end of June to the beginning of July, is no longer an option,” said the festival. “It is clearly difficult to assume that the Festival de Cannes could be held this year in its original form.”

“Nevertheless, since yesterday evening we have started many discussions with professionals, in France and abroad. They agree that the Festival de Cannes, an essential pillar for the film industry, must explore all contingencies allowing to support the year of Cinema by making Cannes 2020 real, in a way or another.”

Cannes could try for October, I suppose, but it will be cold by then and not very welcoming. Better to wait til next year and come back big.

Ditto for the Venice Film Festival. Italy is the hardest hit country other than the US. The government is not putting out a welcome mat for movie stars. They’ll be lucky to have any tourists by the end of the summer. And those travelers will be keeping six feet away from each other if at all.

Again, next year for film festivals.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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