Cannes Film Festival postponed

France’s Cannes Film Festival, cinema’s largest annual gathering, has postponed its 73rd edition due to the coronavirus pandemic, South China Monitoring Post reports.

Organisers of the festival on the French Riviera, which had been expected to take place from May 12-23, said on Thursday that they are considering moving the festival to the end of June or the beginning of July.

“Several hypotheses are being studied to preserve the festival, the main one of which would be a simple postponement,” the festival said in a statement.

“As soon as the development of the French and international health situation will allow us to assess the real possibility, we will make our decision known.”

Organisers had been extremely reluctant to cancel Cannes, considered the most prestigious film festival in the world. For weeks, its organisers deflected questions and tried to push through its selection process. But as the pandemic spread through France, it became all but inevitable that a massive gathering like Cannes would be cancelled. On Saturday, France’s Prime Minister Édouard Philippe ordered the closure of all restaurants, cafes and cinemas in France to increase social distancing and combat the virus.

Other major film festivals, including South by Southwest and the Tribeca Film Festival, have already been scuttled. But some hope held out that Cannes, taking place closer to summer, might yet survive.