Anne Thompson and Eric Kohn spoke with TIFF boss Cameron Bailey in the latest episode of their IndieWire: Screen Talk podcast. The 60-minute conversation is worth a listen just to hear how Bailey is trying to plan this year's festival. Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of non-answers to Kohn and Thompson’s questions about how the fest will transpire because, well, nobody really knows how the world will look like in Septemeber, let alone next week. It does look as though Bailey and his staff are considering some in-person events for TIFF, exclusively just for Canadians, including outdoor screenings. The rumored digital shift online is also starting to look less likely due to push-back from some filmmakers, distributors, etc. According to Bailey, Canadians notwithstanding, the goal is to accommodate people who are unable to travel to Toronto in September with some kind of online option.
Last week the Mayor of Toronto and the city announced that they were canceling all events with more than 250 people until July 31st and all events with more than 25,000 people until August 31st. I wouldn't be surprised if these restrictions get extended further. TIFF is set to take place in early September, it attracts close to 200,000 attendees every year, so an in-person gathering of international attendees seems very unlikely. Ontario's infection numbers seem to have risen again, the last thing the government of Ontario would want is to further add to the number of cases just for the sake of having a film festival take place.
Another option would be for TIFF to collaborate with other festivals and exclusively screen the highlights of their lineups. Already canceled events include SXSW, Tribeca, and, more intriguingly, Cannes. Still-not-canceled marquees include the Telluride, New York, and Venice Film Festivals — all of which will have to also figure out a way to adapt to COVID-19 social distancing rules. Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera, who spoke to ANSA (via Variety), described the 2020 edition of the fest as potentially being “experimental,” adding that there will be “use of surgical masks and social distancing” as well as “probably less accredited attendees.”
Of course, the simplest and best option would be to digitize these festivals and premiere films in secure online platforms for an exclusive amount of attendees (press, industry, paying customers), but the main question remains, will filmmakers and studios be willing to do this?
The 2020 Toronto Film Festival is set to run Sept. 10-20 in Toronto
The 2020 Venice Film Festival is set to kick-happen on September 2nd.