After football euro and Roland Garros, both postponed, the Cannes Film Festival was one of the last major international events not to have announced on its 2020 edition. It’s done, Thursday, March 19, in a press release.
“The Cannes Film Festival cannot be held on the dates scheduled, from May 12 to 23”, said the organizers, citing “Several hypotheses”, “The main one of which would be a simple postponement, to Cannes, late June – early July 2020”.
“As soon as the evolution of the French and international health situation allows us to assess the real possibility, we will make our decision known”, they specify. A decision which will be taken in consultation with the State, the City of Cannes and the cinema professionals, for this edition who must have the director of the jury American director Spike Lee.
Several trade shows already canceled in Cannes
After the publication in mid-March of an article evoking an outright cancellation, the festival had assured that no decision had been made, returning to mid-April, when the organizers had to reveal their selection of films in the running for the Palme d’Or.
“We remain reasonably optimistic in the hope that the peak of the epidemic will be reached at the end of March”, affirmed at the beginning of March Pierre Lescure, its president. “But we are not oblivious. If not, we will cancel. “.
Faced with the possibility of cancellations, the boss of the Film Market (12,500 participants) which takes place in parallel with the festival mentioned Wednesday in the review French Film the possibility of organizing a virtual edition in May, with online screenings, as well as meetings between professionals.
In Cannes, several flagship trade fairs had already taken action in response to the coronavirus epidemic: Mipim for real estate and 3e Cannes Festival series have been postponed to future dates. For Mip TV, the second major world event for television professionals initially scheduled for March 30 to April 2, a dry cancellation has been decided.
Canceled, interrupted, but never postponed
An event attracting 40,000 professionals and 200,000 spectators, the Cannes Festival has already been canceled or interrupted in the past, but never postponed.
The most famous case is the May 1968 edition, interrupted after a sling led by filmmakers, led by Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, in support of the student and workers movement. To a cinephile annoyed by the turn of things, Godard launched in particular: “I’m talking to you about solidarity with the students and you’re talking to me about tracking shots and close-ups”, before cursing him.
Another highlight of this edition like no other: actress Géraldine Chaplin and director Carlos Saura clung to the curtain to prevent the screening of their own film.
The very first Cannes edition, that of 1939, was also canceled : it was due to open on September 1, the date of Germany’s invasion of Poland. Two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany, throwing out the plans for a film festival in southern France for a few years, competing with the Venice Film Festival. Result: the very first Cannes festival will officially open on September 20, 1946. Undermined by budgetary difficulties, its future will remain uncertain for several years, with editions canceled in 1948 and 1950.
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