With the current COVID-19 situation happening, many are affected. Not even a film festival is spared. For instance, The Cannes Film Festival, which was due to happen in May, announces its postponement – they had no choice. Before the announcement, many were already feeling uncertain of whether the was going to happen in May. However, this was not the first time it got interrupted – in May 1968 due to the student and labour protest across France.
This announcement is another blow to the film industry.
The situation got me thinking how we can keep up the flames of the festival spirit when everyone needs to be at home – going online. “The movie industry’s leading independent film companies and talent agencies are banding together to devise a virtual market in the event that the Cannes Film Festival and market are cancelled due to the coronavirus.” – Wiselman (2020). A competition will always be there in this trade – but however, everyone is coming together, working as a community, working this out.
There are plenty of live streams and it’s proven that it can be done. When watching “Lockdown: An Interactive Livestream”, it featured an interactive livestream – you got guest speakers, content sharing, etc. I find it really interesting to think that for a film festival to be done online (Our project is definitely getting me excited already!) at the same time trying to replicate the same experience you get at a physical film festival itself.
Learning from both Cannes International Film and “Lockdown: An Interactive Livestream”, with teamwork, determination and a strong sense of belief – it is possible to create an online festival experience for its targeted audience. Hence, these are some of the key points our team should take not of when devising this online film festival – I mean, we’re all affected by the current situation too!
Reference:
Wiseman, A. and Wiseman, A., 2020. Yes We Cannes: Film Biz Toppers Devise Market Contingency Plan In Case Of Coronavirus Cancellation. [online] Deadline. <https://deadline.com/2020/03/cannes-coronavirus-film-companies-devise-contingency-plan-cancellation-1202885577/> [Accessed 19 April 2020].