Rumors had been circulating that the festival would be canceled or postponed since March 8, when France brought in restrictions on mass gatherings, limiting them to 1,000 people, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That is a lower capacity than the festival’s largest venue. On Saturday, Le Point, a French newsmagazine, published an article in which an anonymous member of the festival’s board was quoted saying that this year’s film festival would not take place. But later that day, the organizers denied any decision had been made.
“Despite some sensational headlines, there is nothing new to say,” Aïda Belloulid, the festival’s spokeswoman, said in a text message at the time.
She said a decision would be made in mid-April when the festival’s program was to be announced, but the situation in France has escalated. The country is now on lockdown, and people can be fined for leaving their homes for reasons other than buying food, traveling to work or exercising. More than 4,000 people were fined on Wednesday, according to France24, the state-owned international news service.
Cannes’ statement came after several other major cultural events in Europe made similar reckonings with the pandemic in recent days. On Wednesday, the Eurovision Song Contest was canceled, as was Glastonbury, the British music festival, which was meant to celebrate its 50th year.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/movies/cannes-film-festival-coronavirus.html
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