Korean International Film Festival Blocked by COVID-19, "Replaced with Invitation Announcement"

Some Films Screened in Collaboration with Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals

This year, the Cannes International Film Festival was canceled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Thierry Fr?maux, the festival's executive director, announced on the 11th, "This year’s festival will be replaced by the announcement of the invited films in early next month," adding, "Some films are planned to be screened in collaboration with several events such as the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals."

Earlier, as the spread of COVID-19 accelerated, the Cannes International Film Festival postponed its scheduled dates once. The executive committee showed strong determination to hold the event by announcing the date for the invited films. However, as the situation prolonged, the festival was ultimately canceled. In France, as of the 10th, there have been 139,063 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The death toll reached 26,380, with a mortality rate of 19.0%, the highest in the world. On the 10th alone, there were 209 new confirmed cases and 70 deaths, making it difficult to hold the event.

This is the third time the Cannes Film Festival has not been held, following financial difficulties in 1948 and 1950. In 1968, the festival was canceled midway due to the social transformation movement (the May 1968 protests).

The film market will be held online starting from the 22nd of next month. The announcement of invited films will not be divided into competition, Un Certain Regard, or out of competition categories. Executive Director Fr?maux explained, "From now until next spring, we will only announce the list of films scheduled for release," adding, "These works will receive the label 'Cannes 2020'." He continued, "The film and cinema industry is under threat. Reflecting on the importance of unity and solidarity, we will work towards rebuilding the film industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.