The coronavirus pandemic has not only brought everything to a standstill but also put a lot of major events such as the Cannes Film Festival in a pickle. While it was announced quite early on that the festival won't be taking place as scheduled from May 12-May 23, the organisers were hoping to push it ahead for June or July. Although recent news suggests that a physical festival may not take place this year because of the current situation and that plans are being worked out to feature films that were scheduled for Cannes at other fall festivals. As reported by Variety, the Cannes Film Festival will now unveil a selection of movies in early June and collaborate with several festivals, including Venice to showcase them. COVID-19 Effect: Cannes Film Festival 2020, Scheduled For May 12, to be Postponed Until June or July, Say Organisers.

In an interview to ScreenDaily, Cannes’ director Thierry Fremaux spoke about the ruling out a physical festival this year and also clarified about the speculations about the possibility of a digital fest. Fremaux said, "As of today, a physical edition seems complicated to organize, so we are going forward with an announcement of films from the (initial Official) Selection at the beginning of June."

Cannes is expected to collaborate with festivals such as Venice, Toronto, Busan among others to screen their selections. The festival director also informed ScreenDaily on how supportive other film festivals have been, saying, "An exceptional situation needs an exceptional response. Numerous festivals invited us and it’s a touching gesture in this context where unity and solidarity are essential."Viineet Kumar Singh’s Indian Movie ‘Tryst with Destiny’ Bags the Best Screenplay Honour at Tribeca Film Festival.

It certainly is going to be a strange year without Cannes given that it is one of the biggest film festivals that cinephiles look forward to and also is known to host the who's of acting talents from across industries. A further announcement is awaited on the film selections for this year's festival.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2020 07:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).