Cannes 2020 May Get Cancelled If Coronavirus Outbreak Worsens, Says Festival President

The annual Cannes International Film Festival could get cancelled due to the outbreak of coronavirus, Hollywood Reporter quoted the festival president Pierre Lescure as saying. ''We remain reasonably optimistic in the hope that the peak of the epidemic will be reached at the end of March and that we will breathe a little better in April. But we are not oblivious. If , we’ll cancel,'' Lescure said. 

The 73rd annual festival is scheduled to take place from May 12-23. In the said interview, Lescure accepted that Cannes festival was not insured against the loss of revenue that would result from the cancellation as the mega film event is not covered by Cannes’ insurance policy.

On Sunday, the French government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. The festival is expected to attract about 40,000 attendees, including delegates to the film market that operates alongside the screening schedule. On Monday, a spokesperson for the prestigious film festival said the edition would go ahead as planned.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee is set as the jury head of the festival, becoming the first African-American to lead the distinguished panel at the annual film extravaganza. If the festival is cancelled, it will be for the third time that it is called off. The movie gala did not take place in 1948 and 1950 due to budgetary constraints.

Meanwhile, music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach have officially been postponed in the wake of concerns over the coronavirus epidemic. In a statement, organisers Goldenvoice released a statement on March 10, saying both the galas will be rescheduled for October. "At the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to COVID-19 concerns. "While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials," Goldenvoice said in a statement to Variety.

Coachella, which was supposed to be held in two weekend installments, April 10 to 12 and April 17 to 19, will now take place six months later on October 9, 10 and 11 and October 16, 17 and 18, 2020. While country music festival Stagecoach will take place on October 23, 24 and 25, 2020. It was earlier planned to begin from April 24.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have been tested positive for coronavirus in Australia, where the Oscar-winning actor had been stationed for the shoot of his new film on the life of American singer Elvis Presley. American singer Miley Cyrus to cancelled her bushfire aid concert due to the same reason. She was scheduled to perform in Melbourne on March 13.