The show must go on: the international film festivals scheduled to steal the limelight this year
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the film world hard. Cinemas were closed, productions halted and film festivals were cancelled. The latest among these was Cannes, which announced in March it was calling off its May festival.
But the rest of the year is starting to look a little more hopeful, with a number of big film festivals still aiming to go ahead as planned.
The National lists the ones still expected to take place this year, whether in a virtual or physical format.
Sydney Film Festival June 10 to 21
The 67th Sydney Film Festival will be a virtual event for the first time in its history. The festival will feature 33 films across four main categories: Australian documentaries, Europe! Voices of Women in Film, Screenability and Australian short films.
Melbourne International Film Festival August 6 to 23
The Melbourne International Film Festival has put together a digital version, too, which will be streamed on its original dates for the year. The schedule comprises of about 40 events, including films, shorts and virtual social events. The full programme will be announced on Tuesday, July 14.
Sarajevo Film Festival August 14 to 21
The 26th Sarajevo Film Festival is still on schedule to take place this summer. French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, the Academy Award-winning director behind the The Artist, will preside over the competition programme for feature films.
Venice International Film Festival September 2 to 12
Although the Venice Biennale of
Architecture has been pushed back to 2021, the 77th edition of the film festival, the world’s longest-running, is still set to go ahead in September. Cate Blanchett is the president of the festival’s international jury.
Traditionally held in Colorado on the
Friday of Labour Day weekend, the Telluride Film Festival will take place on Thursday, September 3, a day earlier this year, due to safety measures, industry website IndieWire reported.
Toronto International Film Festival September 10 to 20
The 45th edition of the Canadian festival is expected to run as scheduled. However, in a message on their website, organisers have said there is still uncertainty about what the event will look like. “This is why we are looking at both onsite and digital innovations, which will provide options that will deliver for our audiences, support filmmakers and our partners, and bolster the industry.”
New York Film Festival September 25 to October 11
minutes or less, is now accepting submissions. It is expected to take place as scheduled.
BFI London Film Festival October 7 to 18
Submissions for the 64th BFI London Film Festival is expected to go ahead as planned. Last year, the festival screened Oscar-worthy films such as Jojo Rabbit and The Irishman.
Tokyo International Film Festival October 31 to November 9
The 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival will be held for 10 days. The programme is yet to be announced.
Mumbai Film Festival November 5 to 12
The 22nd Mumbai Film Festival is on schedule, but no details are out yet. The 58th New York Film Festival, which only celebrates shorts of 40