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MIPTV and Canneseries cancelled due to coronavirus concerns

MIPTV.

The organisers of MIPTV have cancelled the market that was due to be held in Cannes from March 30-April 2 as well as allied events including Canneseries, Mip Formats and Mip Doc.

Season 3 of Canneseries, where the Enzo Tedeschi-curated horror anthology Deadhouse Dark was set to have its world premiere in the short form competition, will now take place from October 9-14 alongside Mipcom.

This follows the French government ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

However Series Mania has not been affected and will run from March 20-29 in Lille, northern France, while the Cannes Film Festival and market are still scheduled to go ahead (May 12-23).

A Screen Australia spokesperson told IF today: “The Australian presence at Cannes will proceed as normal unless the Australian government advice changes or the festival change their plans.”

As IF reported, Porchlight Films’ espionage thriller Operation Buffalo will have its world premiere at Series Mania while See-Saw Films’ The End will also screen in the International Panorma section.

Lingo Pictures’ Upright will play in the Midnight Comedies sidebar, Playmaker Media’s The Commons will screen in the International Showcase and Blackfella Films’ Total Control will have its European premiere in special screenings.

The coronavirus outbreak has prompted the producers and distributors of the James Bond movie No Time to Die to postpone the global launch from April to November.

That is a devastating blow for Australian exhibitors who had been counting on the Daniel Craig starrer to turbo-charge ticket sales to the tune of $40 million – $50 million after a sluggish start to the year.

Universal was planning to open the 25th installment of the 007 franchise, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and co-starring Rami Malek, Ana de Armas and Christoph Waltz, in Australia on April 8; it’s moved to November 12.

MGM, Universal and Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: “After careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of No Time to Die will be postponed until November 2020.”

Reed MIDEM CEO Paul Zilk said of the MIPTV cancellation: “In the current context, many of our clients have expressed concerns about traveling at this time. Rescheduling MIPTV in the coming months is not feasible, so the most appropriate course of action is to cancel MIPTV for 2020.

“The well-being of our clients, partners and staff is our priority. We are grateful to clients for their support and constructive input during this challenging period. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Mipcom in October 12-15 and we are delighted that Canneseries will be at our side again this year.”