If it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic, May would have been a time of great anticipation for movie fans around the world: the 73rd Cannes Film Festival was scheduled to take place from 12 to 23 May.
However, the Festival de Cannes, which was originally planned to be postponed to late June to July, has issued an official announcement that "it will be difficult for the festival to be held as usual."
On the evening of April 13, French President Emmanuel Macron announced new measures to extend the "ban on all public events, including festivals", until mid-July. This means that the Cannes Film Festival, which was originally rumored to be postponed until the end of June to the beginning of July, will not be held.
The official website of the Festival de Cannes states that "the 73rd International Festival de Cannes, which was originally scheduled to be postponed to the end of June and the beginning of July, will not be able to take place within this framework".
Thierry Freymao has said "Cannes does not consider virtual screenings"
Thierry Freymao, artistic director of the Festival de Cannes, who has previously turned down streaming films, has previously made it clear that "'virtual screenings' will not be considered". He has said that "it is difficult to accept watching the works of famous director Wes Anderson on the computer, blockbusters like Top Gun 2 or Pixar animation." But this official statement is the first time that it will be difficult for the film festival to be held as usual."
"The most important feature of the international A-category film festival is that you must have the right to premiere in the main competition. There are film festivals almost every month, and postponing them will lead to conflicts with later film festivals, and the time change also involves the coordination of later film festivals. In this year's case, coordination will be troublesome. Ishikawa, vice chairman of the Shanghai Filmmakers Association, believes that the current global epidemic is still not optimistic, but after all, it is a temporary phenomenon, "we still have to maintain confidence in the future of the film industry." ”
"As far as the current situation is concerned, the possibility of the cancellation of the Cannes Film Festival is greater, and the Venice Film Festival may also be affected." The cancellation of film festivals due to force majeure has also occurred in history, but it does not mean that the film festival will never recover. Wang Lei, an independent filmmaker, believes that the reason why the Cannes Film Festival refuses to go online does not mean that the online is not good, but because "the film festival itself has a strong sense of ceremony, and the online will dissolve this sense of ceremony." ”
The timing and place are favorable, so that the cannes film festival ceremony is particularly strong
As one of the most important film festivals in the world, the Cannes Film Festival not only has the main competition film to participate in the art competition, but also an important publicity window for the global film industry. In recent years, many Hollywood blockbusters have rushed to the Cannes Film Festival to promote the momentum, and many domestic films will also choose to go to the promotion deal.
The non-main competition film Madagascar 3: The Great European Roundup made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival
"Affected by the epidemic, it is difficult to determine how long it will take for social activities to resume. Offline movie viewing has a certain social nature, the film festival is a large-scale social event, it is not wise to take confrontational measures, it is better to go with the flow. "Film scholar Ge Ying believes that as far as the current situation is concerned, the epidemic situation in Europe is more severe, and it is reasonable that the Cannes Film Festival will be cancelled due to the epidemic." For movies to continue to survive in this era, it is normal to go with the trend. We should think positively about how to deal with it, rather than dragging it out all the time. ”
The Festival de Cannes is not only a feast for filmmakers and fans, but also a social scene for celebrities around the world
At present, some film festivals are considering switching to online screenings. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which was scheduled to be held on June 15, canceled the offline screening, and the organizers are considering holding an "online animation film festival", and it is reported that the shortlist will be announced as scheduled. However, some film festivals have also announced their cancellations, such as the Munich Film Festival, which was scheduled to be held on June 25.
In the past, during the Cannes Film Festival, fans gathered everywhere to wait for the stars
In the view of some industry insiders, offline screenings have the risk of gathering people, but online broadcasting must risk piracy. "Online screenings can easily cause the outflow of film resources." Kristoff Glone, artistic director of the Munich Film Festival, has publicly stated that "instead of rushing to online, it is better to gradually add new digital elements in the coming year according to experience and strategy".
Column Editor-in-Chief: Shi Chenlu Text Editor: Jian Gongbo Title Image Source: Xinhua News Agency
Source: Zhong Han Jian Gongbo