Cannes moves to July

Red carpet action in Cannes Photo: Festival de Cannes

The organisers of the Cannes Film Festival which originally had suggested tentative dates in the traditional slot in the calendar from 11 to 22 May, how have decided because of the global health crisis to move the festival definitively to the 6 to 17 July.

The festival, as a precaution, had reserved several other dates later in the year and announced they would reserve the right to change them depending on how the crisis developed.

Now after an official meeting of the organisers yesterday it was announced that after deliberations the July dates were the preferred option.

Last year the Festival moved completely online.

Thierry Frémaux, the Festival’s artistic director, in an article to mark the 125th anniversary on 4 January of the first commercial film screening has long been an advocate of a physical presence: “In their absence, theatres — which are our homes, our churches and our rituals — have never been so present. When will we see each other again? Soon. We must! We want to return to a theatre where there is no ‘pause' button. We want to see, on a big screen, a film we know nothing about, sitting next to someone we don’t know, and experience the promise that cinema has always upheld, and which will never disappear."