While the future of the Cannes Film Festival is still in question, Cannes has announced a virtual form of their lauded ‘Marché du Film’ will be going ahead on a virtual platform. This will allow filmmakers and film lovers everywhere to celebrate the art of filmmaking in a safe setting without the fear of spreading disease.

On March 18 plans were announced to hold the Cannes market online from May 12-23, but it was quickly delayed as the pandemic worsened. Now, with the logistics worked out, the virtual market will take place from June 22-26, according to the Cannes official website. French President Emmanuel Macron issued a ban on large public gatherings until mid-July,  leading many to speculate that that Cannes would either not happen or happen in a modified online setting.

The ‘Marché du Film’ has traditionally served as the business counterpart to Cannes Film Festival, where many films are purchased for distribution. The virtual market will be held on the online platform ‘Cinando’. This platform has already hosted several film festivals and industry events this year. While a physical Cannes Festival is still very much in the air, there is hope that it can still happen with France seeing a reduction in cases and many nations across the world announcing  stay at home measures and restrictions on public gatherings.