Cannes film festival difficult to hold this year 'in original form': organisers

A mural showing a portrait of actress Marilyn Monroe by A. Fresco is seen in a deserted street of Cannes as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease. Reuters

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 that 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," organisers said in a statement, while adding that they were exploring "all contingencies" to realise Cannes 2020 "in a way or another".

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