As of this publication, France was going through a total shutdown of all non-essential public spaces amid the coronavirus outbreak, imposing closures on everything except grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, gas stations and, of course, Tobacco stores, because the chain-smoking French can't go without their cigarettes. COVID-19 coronavirus cases have risen significantly enough in the last 24 hours that a total shutdown was inevitable. And, remember, France also shares a vast and important border with Italy, which has been hit hard, very hard, by the pandemic.
With all that being said, according to a report in Le Point, the Cannes Film Festival, set to take place on May 12th, is still holding off on canceling the event until April 15th, when the Cannes comittee will reassess the situation. On April 16th, the festival is set to announce its entire lineup, so it makes sense to have a cutoff date to cancel the day before all the films are revealed.
Cannes denied the Le Point story, Cannes spokesperson told IndieWire. “Despite some sensational headlines, there is no new [news] regarding the Festival de Cannes. The event, that should take place from May 12 to May 23, is studying with care and clarity the evolution of the national and international situation, in close cooperation with the City of Cannes and the CNC. When the time comes, around mid-April, they will take the necessary decision together.”
Of course, I have been laying out the idea that if the lineup were announced before cancellation then we would at least have a good idea of what were going to be the films in competition, which would, ensuingly, boost the pedigree of some titles and help Venice, NYFF, and TIFF in picking and choosing their own lineups accordingly. Of course, the chances of this happening are becoming slimmer by the day.
A slew of film festivals which were set to take place in March and April have already canceled their events, including SXSW, the San Francisco International Film Festival, Tribeca, Hot Docs, and many more.
The French government is currently prohibiting gatherings of 1,000 or more people after cases soared to 3,661 cases and 79 deaths as of Saturday morning.
Here's a small scoop for Sunday night. Nothing too exciting, since it concerns the once-promising Ben Wheatley, a filmmaker who broke out with the cult-horror gut-punch of "Kill List" and "A Field in England.”