Cannes Film Festival 2020: French Film Festival Seeks to Collaborate with Other Fall Fests

Cannes Film Festival seeks to team up with others for “Cannes 2020” screenings

The 2020 iteration of the Cannes Film Festival is the textbook definition of “tenacious”. They’ve already seen two delays as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, and currently have no set dates. And yet they’ve still refused to confirm an official cancellation!

However, one development they have confirmed is an alternate plan: the “Cannes 2020” screenings.

Thierry Frémaux, the festival’s director, has confirmed that Cannes is curating a list of films from this year’s official selection to screen at other prominent festivals later in the year. This includes films that were selected to screen both in and out of Competition, as well as in the festival’s Un Certain Regard and Midnight sections. The list will be limited to films who still plan to have a theatrical release between now and spring of 2021. Frémaux will announce the primary Cannes 2020 titles in early June.

While it’s only speculation, it’s doubtful that these Cannes 2020 selections will supersede other festivals’ own competition line-ups. Based on reports, these Cannes selections will probably serve only as individual programs within these other festivals’ selections.

No other festival has announced that they will hold Cannes 2020 screenings yet, but Frémaux is eyeing some hopeful collaborators. The Venice, Toronto, San Sebastian, Busan, New York, and Lyon festivals are all in the mix as potential hosts.

Collab with Venice?

Rumors have also been circulating on a possible Cannes-Venice collaboration for a while.

Alberto Barbera, the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival, says such a collaboration would be “a sign of solidarity towards the cinema world”. While both festivals’ directors seem eager on a collaboration, no official announcement has been made confirming such a decision.

The Venice Film Festival, which is still set to run from September 2-12, 2020, will announce its official 2020 plans within the next month.

The Future of Cannes

Frémaux says the 2021 Cannes Film Festival selection will begin in the fall, signaling hope for normalcy by next year. Films that were part of the festival’s official 2020 selection but have since delayed their release by a year will be eligible for reconsideration.

Frémaux has also invited Spike Lee back to oversee the next physical edition of the festival. Lee was originally selected as President of the Cannes Jury back in January.

Leave your thoughts on the Cannes Film Festival seeking out fall film festival collaborations for its Cannes 2020 screenings (via THR) and this article below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. For more Film Festival news coverage, photos, videos, and information, visit our Film Festival Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.