Cannes Film Festival returns with a mini version this week

The original event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Movie enthusiasts visiting or residing in the French town of Cannes are in for a pleasant surprise: the most-awaited and one of the oldest film festivals is taking place this week, albeit in a shorter version. The event titled 'Cannes 2020 Special' replicates the annual festival of world renown, which was supposed to take place for the 73rd time this spring but was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, the Festival organizers and the City of Cannes are teaming up to entertain locals and visitors with a three-day on-site event featuring screenings, competitions and award ceremonies.

Cannes 2020 Special shows that there is no bad time for good art

The Cannes Special is taking place from Tuesday, 27 October to Thursday, 29 October. The official inauguration is this evening at 6 p.m. and will be attended by the Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard. “The Big Hit!” by Emmanuel Courcol is the first and only screening planned for the day.

Throughout the next two days, visitors will be able to enjoy four films, among which two French ones from the official selection of Cannes 2020, which originally included 56 titles. Furthermore, the programme includes the Cinéfondation’s 2020 Selection featuring short films submitted by film schools from around the world and the Short Films Competition featuring 11 shorts. The handing of the Short Film Palme d'Or and the Cinéfondation awards are scheduled for the following day.

The organisers remind that this event is meant for the general public and therefore it requires no special invitation pass in order to attend – just a ticker, which can be purchased online in advance. If you are eager to attend, however, make sure to reserve your seat as soon as possible, as the sanitary restrictions reduce cinema capacity to levels well below the usual occupancy.