Coronavirus hits Cannes: 2020 Film Festival postponed over pandemic concerns

The organizers of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France have postponed this year's events due to the global Coronavirus pandemic per the official statement released on March 19.

In the press release available at the organization's site, they declared that "The Festival de Cannes cannot be held on the scheduled dates, from May 12 to 23". The film festival was supposed to be hosted in the city of Cannes, a city of arts along the shores of the French Riviera. Unfortunately, it is also seated only 19 miles away from neighboring Nice, where a 23-year-old fashion student was among the country's first confirmed positive cases for the COVID-19.

On a positive light, organizers noted alternatives to "preserve its running", such as moving the event to the end of June or the beginning of July in the same year, while maintaining close communication between the French Government, Cannes' City Hall, the Festival's Board Members, film industry professionals, and all their event partners.

They also appealed to the public to respect the general lockdown and place and "show solidarity in these difficult times for the entire world."

This statement comes after weeks of speculation on whether one of the world's most significant film events can still push through. On the same day as the Nice coronavirus case, the city of Cannes also posted its first confirmed case. The French government immediately banned gatherings of more than 5,000 people the next day. 

One of the central venues of the event, the Lumiere Theatre, has a 2,300 seating capacity. However, the festival draws more than the filmmakers and actors invited to the event yearly. These esteemed attendees come from different countries across the globe, most of which are faced with their respective battles at controlling the pandemic. Additionally, fans and tourists from all over the world also flock to Cannes, eagerly waiting outside The Lumiere on the seaside stretch of land locally known as the Croisette.

Organizers of the film fest previously tried to allay the growing fears, assuring the media that the ban does not directly affect the festival since it has "never more than 5,000 gathered in one closed place". The Cannes Film Festival showed persistence even as other slated events in the area have been canceled for the same reason, especially the MipTV 2020, which is an international conference and market for television.

As the pandemic grew over the previous week, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe has stepped up measures to mitigate the pandemic, ordering the closure of all places "not essential to French living". Such places include cafes, cinemas, clubs, and restaurants - forcing most gatherings and events to be cancelled, eventually adding the Cannes Film Festival. 

Fears regarding the cancellation of the Cannes Film Festival revolve around its major blow on every part of the film industry. The market activity expected from the interaction between filmmakers and potential buyers often spells out the direction of the global trade in the months or years to follow.

In its 73-year run, the film festival will be postponed for the first time since its inception in September 1946. The exclusive invitation-only event previews films from all genres from all over the world.