This year’s Cannes Film festival is pale in comparison to the previous years as the organisers bring a mini-festival to the land of entertainment and glamour albeit subdued.&nbsp;

The opening night of Cannes Film Festival 2020 that is being called ‘Special Cannes’ program as it honors the Cannes 2020 selection with a showcase of four films that received the prestigious label, as well as the full Cinefondation lineup and a short film competition.

At Tuesday’s opening screening of Emmanuel Courcol’s crowd-pleasing comedy drama ‘The Big Hit’, the security measures were more elaborate than ever, the state-of-the-art auditorium was at full capacity; and the screening was prefaced by an introduction from Cannes delegate general Thierry Fremaux.

According to security measures in place, every attendee had to keep their mask on throughout the film, with each filmgoer seated at least one seat apart from their neighbour on either side.&nbsp;

“When we returned to this theater, where we had not stepped foot since May 2019, we all felt our hearts pinch,” said Fremaux, referencing the festival’s tough-but-inevitable decision to cancel its physical component this past summer. “[With this event], we wanted to light this screen up anew.”

The Cannes Film Festival 2020 is on for three days starting October 27.

This year’s Cannes Film festival is pale in comparison to the previous years as the organisers bring a mini-festival to the land of entertainment and glamour albeit subdued.

This year’s Cannes Film festival is pale in comparison to the previous years as the organisers bring a mini-festival to the land of entertainment and glamour albeit subdued. The opening night of Cannes Film Festival 2020 that is being called ‘Special Cannes’ program as it honors the Cannes 2020 selection with a showcase of four films that received the prestigious label, as well as the full Cinefondation lineup and a short film competition. At Tuesday’s opening screening of Emmanuel Courcol’s crowd-pleasing comedy drama ‘The Big Hit’, the security measures were more elaborate than ever, the state-of-the-art auditorium was at full capacity; and the screening was prefaced by an introduction from Cannes delegate general Thierry Fremaux. According to security measures in place, every attendee had to keep their mask on throughout the film, with each filmgoer seated at least one seat apart from their neighbour on either side. “When we returned to this theater, where we had not stepped foot since May 2019, we all felt our hearts pinch,” said Fremaux, referencing the festival’s tough-but-inevitable decision to cancel its physical component this past summer. “[With this event], we wanted to light this screen up anew.” The Cannes Film Festival 2020 is on for three days starting October 27.

Cannes Film Festival 2020: Prestigious festival makes a comeback with cut backs and stringent security measures

Actor-filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan's Marathi film 'Mai Ghat: Crime No 103/2005', will be screened at the presitigious Cannes Film Festival in the `Marche du Film Online, or the online film market. The 73rd edition of the festival will begin from June 25.

Owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the festival will be held online this year and there is no competition section. However, the film market, where filmmakers from around the world get a chance to showcase their projects for prospective buyers, will continue in the festival`s online version.

"This year the festival has announced an official selection of films to be shown under the Marche du Film section. A few days ago I have got a call from Directorate of Film Festivals of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, informing me that they have selected `Mai Ghat` from India for the `Marche du Film` this year," Mahadevan told a news agency. 
The Marche du Film Online will happen between June 22 and June 26. 
'Mai Ghat: Crime No 103/2005' is a film based on the real-life story of Prabhavati Amma from Kerala, who lost her son Udayakumar due to police brutality in 2005. The film features Usha Yadav and Ravi Singh in the pivotal roles.

The filmmaker looked back at his challenge while making the film: "Since it is a real-life story of police brutality, finding financers for the project was tough. I think (producer) Mohini (Gupta) went ahead with a conviction to support the film because it is the silent battle fought by a mother for 13 years."

Mahadevan added: "This is a prestigious moment for all of us because the government is acknowledging our cinema for the international festival. I have informed Prabhavati Amma."

Since 1959, Cannes has been hosting a film market while the prestigious festival is on. The film at Cannes is one of the largest film markets in the world. Last year, more than 4,000 films from 121 countries were selected for the market. This year, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic the film market will be held online.

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Actor-filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan's Marathi film 'Mai Ghat: Crime No 103/2005', will be screened at the presitigious Cannes Film Festival in the `Marche du Film Online, or the online film market.

Actor-filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan's Marathi film 'Mai Ghat: Crime No 103/2005', will be screened at the presitigious Cannes Film Festival in the `Marche du Film Online, or the online film market. The 73rd edition of the festival will begin from June 25. Owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the festival will be held online this year and there is no competition section. However, the film market, where filmmakers from around the world get a chance to showcase their projects for prospective buyers, will continue in the festival`s online version. "This year the festival has announced an official selection of films to be shown under the Marche du Film section. A few days ago I have got a call from Directorate of Film Festivals of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, informing me that they have selected `Mai Ghat` from India for the `Marche du Film` this year," Mahadevan told a news agency. The Marche du Film Online will happen between June 22 and June 26. 'Mai Ghat: Crime No 103/2005' is a film based on the real-life story of Prabhavati Amma from Kerala, who lost her son Udayakumar due to police brutality in 2005. The film features Usha Yadav and Ravi Singh in the pivotal roles. The filmmaker looked back at his challenge while making the film: "Since it is a real-life story of police brutality, finding financers for the project was tough. I think (producer) Mohini (Gupta) went ahead with a conviction to support the film because it is the silent battle fought by a mother for 13 years." Mahadevan added: "This is a prestigious moment for all of us because the government is acknowledging our cinema for the international festival. I have informed Prabhavati Amma." Since 1959, Cannes has been hosting a film market while the prestigious festival is on. The film at Cannes is one of the largest film markets in the world. Last year, more than 4,000 films from 121 countries were selected for the market. This year, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic the film market will be held online.

Ananth Mahadevan's Marathi film to be screened at Cannes fest online market

The Riviera resort of Cannes should have been playing host to the world's biggest names in film. Instead, with its annual film festival postponed and the red carpet rolled up, locals made do with a drive-in cinema in a beachfront car park.

Popcorn, palm trees and face masks: Cannes rolls out drive-in cinema

The organisers of the Cannes Film Festival have ruled out the possibility of a physical movie gala, while hinting that they will join hands with other festivals slated to be held later this year.

The 73rd edition of the premier festival had already been postponed from its original mid-May dates to late June and early July.

According to Variety, the annual event will unveil a selection of movies early June and collaborate with several festivals, including Venice, to present some films.

"As of today, a physical edition seems complicated to organize, so we are going forward with an announcement of films from the (initial Official) selection at the beginning of June," said a spokesperson for the festival, confirming what Cannes' director Thierry Fremaux said on Sunday in an interview with Screen Daily.

Instead of going virtual, the festival will be organising a "redeployment 'outside the walls' (of Cannes), in collaboration with fall festivals", the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, the selection process for next year's festival will start in the autumn. Some movies that were selected for this edition and have delayed their release by a year will be considered for the 2021 edition.

Cannes will be showing its "labeled" films at festivals such as Toronto, Deauville, Angouleme, San Sebastian, New York, Busan and Fremaux’s own Lumiere festival in Lyon.

Fremaux added the idea with Venice was to go further and jointly present movies.

The Cannes Marche du Film's virtual edition is due to run June 22-26, alongside a US agencies-led virtual market.

The organisers of the Cannes Film Festival have ruled out the possibility of a physical movie gala, while hinting that they will join hands with other festivals slated to be held later this year.

The organisers of the Cannes Film Festival have ruled out the possibility of a physical movie gala, while hinting that they will join hands with other festivals slated to be held later this year. The 73rd edition of the premier festival had already been postponed from its original mid-May dates to late June and early July. According to Variety, the annual event will unveil a selection of movies early June and collaborate with several festivals, including Venice, to present some films. "As of today, a physical edition seems complicated to organize, so we are going forward with an announcement of films from the (initial Official) selection at the beginning of June," said a spokesperson for the festival, confirming what Cannes' director Thierry Fremaux said on Sunday in an interview with Screen Daily. Instead of going virtual, the festival will be organising a "redeployment 'outside the walls' (of Cannes), in collaboration with fall festivals", the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, the selection process for next year's festival will start in the autumn. Some movies that were selected for this edition and have delayed their release by a year will be considered for the 2021 edition. Cannes will be showing its "labeled" films at festivals such as Toronto, Deauville, Angouleme, San Sebastian, New York, Busan and Fremaux’s own Lumiere festival in Lyon. Fremaux added the idea with Venice was to go further and jointly present movies. The Cannes Marche du Film's virtual edition is due to run June 22-26, alongside a US agencies-led virtual market.

Cannes Film Festival to not go virtual, will team up with other movie galas to show selected films

The Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux has confirmed that the major event won`t take the virtual route if it can`t be hosted as a physical event. 
 
Fremaux told Variety,"(For) Cannes, its soul, its history, its efficiency, it`s a model that wouldn`t work. What is a digital festival? A digital competition? We should start by asking rights holders if they agree." 
 
While teasing some titles that have been in the mix for the upcoming edition, Fremaux said, "Films by Wes Anderson or Paul Verhoeven on a computer? Discovering `Top Gun 2` or (Pixar`s) `Soul` elsewhere than in (a) theatre? These films have been postponed to be shown on a big screen; why would we want to show them before, on a digital device?" 
 
Since early March when the coronavirus outbreak became a global issue, there has been a giant question mark around the 2020 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. 
 
After weeks of speculation, organisers postponed the event on March 19 from its initial May unspooling to possibly late June or early July -- firm dates still have yet to be set. 
 
Fremaux also asserted that the `directors` of films are driven by the idea of showing their movies on a big screen and sharing them with others at events like festivals, not for their works to end up on an iPhone.He further added that "If all the festivals are cancelled, we will have to think of a way to showcase films, to avoid wasting a year, but I don`t think a precarious and improvised alternative of Cannes or Venice -- no sooner done than forgotten -- would be the solution." 
 
Concerns surrounding rights and windowing due to the risk of piracy and other issues are likely to emerge when the planned digital festival initiatives start rolling out later this year.Fremaux`s declaration echoes Venice`s topper Alberto Barbera`s comments over the weekend, which threw cold water on the prospect of a digital element to Venice and distinguished that fest from the digital-savvy Toronto International Film Festival, which is "a different type of festival," according to Barbera. 
 
Of course, the Cannes` refusal to go digital isn`t surprising. Fremaux is a die-hard lover of the big screen, he even hosts Lyon`s annual Lumiere Festival in homage to the French cinema pioneers, the Lumiere brothers.Over the years, the Cannes Film Festival has built its reputation as a launchpad for movies from around the world ahead of their theatrical bows in France and abroad -- a model that has successfully worked for decades, as it did last year with Bong Joon-ho`s `Parasite,` which went on to be a commercial hit and scoop four Oscars after winning the Palme d`Or. 
 
The film festival also works hand in hand with French distributors and exhibitors who are well represented on the board of the festival.Despite France`s three-week lockdown, Fremaux maintains that the festival is carrying on with the selection of films while monitoring the evolution of the pandemic. 
 
The festival recently stated that the key sales agents who represent the majority of titles in the competition have been submitting their films to Cannes` selection committee, and the dates for registration have been extended by a month and a half.Also, the French culture ministry and the city`s mayor are backing the Cannes, and they have announced the launch of a support cell for festivals scheduled for 2020.

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The Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux has confirmed that the major event won`t take the virtual route if it can`t be hosted as a physical event. Fremaux told Variety,"(For) Cannes, its soul, its history, its efficiency, it`s a model that wouldn`t work.

The Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux has confirmed that the major event won`t take the virtual route if it can`t be hosted as a physical event. Fremaux told Variety,"(For) Cannes, its soul, its history, its efficiency, it`s a model that wouldn`t work. What is a digital festival? A digital competition? We should start by asking rights holders if they agree." While teasing some titles that have been in the mix for the upcoming edition, Fremaux said, "Films by Wes Anderson or Paul Verhoeven on a computer? Discovering `Top Gun 2` or (Pixar`s) `Soul` elsewhere than in (a) theatre? These films have been postponed to be shown on a big screen; why would we want to show them before, on a digital device?" Since early March when the coronavirus outbreak became a global issue, there has been a giant question mark around the 2020 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. After weeks of speculation, organisers postponed the event on March 19 from its initial May unspooling to possibly late June or early July -- firm dates still have yet to be set. Fremaux also asserted that the `directors` of films are driven by the idea of showing their movies on a big screen and sharing them with others at events like festivals, not for their works to end up on an iPhone.He further added that "If all the festivals are cancelled, we will have to think of a way to showcase films, to avoid wasting a year, but I don`t think a precarious and improvised alternative of Cannes or Venice -- no sooner done than forgotten -- would be the solution." Concerns surrounding rights and windowing due to the risk of piracy and other issues are likely to emerge when the planned digital festival initiatives start rolling out later this year.Fremaux`s declaration echoes Venice`s topper Alberto Barbera`s comments over the weekend, which threw cold water on the prospect of a digital element to Venice and distinguished that fest from the digital-savvy Toronto International Film Festival, which is "a different type of festival," according to Barbera. Of course, the Cannes` refusal to go digital isn`t surprising. Fremaux is a die-hard lover of the big screen, he even hosts Lyon`s annual Lumiere Festival in homage to the French cinema pioneers, the Lumiere brothers.Over the years, the Cannes Film Festival has built its reputation as a launchpad for movies from around the world ahead of their theatrical bows in France and abroad -- a model that has successfully worked for decades, as it did last year with Bong Joon-ho`s `Parasite,` which went on to be a commercial hit and scoop four Oscars after winning the Palme d`Or. The film festival also works hand in hand with French distributors and exhibitors who are well represented on the board of the festival.Despite France`s three-week lockdown, Fremaux maintains that the festival is carrying on with the selection of films while monitoring the evolution of the pandemic. The festival recently stated that the key sales agents who represent the majority of titles in the competition have been submitting their films to Cannes` selection committee, and the dates for registration have been extended by a month and a half.Also, the French culture ministry and the city`s mayor are backing the Cannes, and they have announced the launch of a support cell for festivals scheduled for 2020.

Cannes Film Festival won't go virtual if all else fails, confirms director Fremaux