It
will
be
difficult
to
hold
the
Cannes
film
festival
in
its
original
form
in
2020
due
to
the
coronavirus
outbreak,
organisers
said
Tuesday,
adding
they
were
looking
at
new
ways
of
hosting
the
world's
biggest
annual
celebration
of
cinema.
The
festival
had
already
been
postponed
from
its
original
mid-May
dates
to
late
June
and
early
July.
But
organisers
said
this
is
"no
longer
an
option" after
President
Emmanuel
Macron
said
cultural
festivals
could
not
resume
until
mid-July
at
the
earliest.
"It
is
clearly
difficult
to
assume
that
the
Festival
de
Cannes
could
be
held
this
year
in
its
original
form," the
organisers
said
in
a
statement,
adding
they
were
exploring
"all
contingencies"
to
realise
Cannes
2020
"in
one
way
or
another".
The
virus
outbreak
has
ravaged
France's
glittering
spring
and
summer
cultural
calender,
with
organisers
last
night
cancelling
the
world's
most
prestigious
theatre
festival
in
the
city
of
Avignon
which
had
been
due
to
start
in
early
July.
However,
Cannes
has
so
far
resisted
announcing
a
full-scale
cancellation
of
this
year's
festival.
Macron
said
in
an
address
to
the
nation
on
Monday
that
a
gradual
easing
of
France's
anti-virus
lockdown
could
be
allowed
from
May
11,
but
the
big
festivals
could
not
take
place
until
mid-July
at
the
earliest,
while
cinemas
and
theatres
must
remain
closed
for
now.
Following
Macron's
statement,
the
Cannes
organisers
said:
"we
acknowledged
that
the
postponement...
initially
considered
for
the
end
of
June
to
the
beginning
of
July,
is
no
longer
an
option." They
said
that
discussions
had
already
started
with
industry
participants
over
what
form
Cannes
2020
could
take.
"Each
and
everyone
knows
that
many
uncertainties
are
still
reigning
over
the
international
health
situation," the
organisers
said.
"We
hope
to
be
able
to
communicate
promptly
regarding
the
shapes
that
this
Cannes
2020
will
take."
The
festival
was
to
have
announced
its
line-up
this
week.
Director
Spike
Lee
has
been
tapped
to
head
the
jury,
the
first
person
of
black
African
heritage
to
do
so.