Cannes 2020: Cannes Lion pushes from June to October
Courtesy of Cannes Lions
The Cannes Lions festival has been postponed from June 22-26 to October 26-30 it was announced by festival organizers on Wednesday.
The decision was arrived at after consultation with public health officials, the Cannes mayoral office, French authorities and festival partners in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speakers who were set to appear at the June festival included Kathleen Hall, corporate vice president of brand, advertising and research at Microsoft; Jean Tanis, global marketing creative lead at Netflix and Claudine Cheever, global head of branding and advertising at Amazon.
“The global situation is dynamic and changing rapidly, we felt it was critical to provide visibility on June as soon as possible. We will continue to liaise closely with our customers as we develop our plans,” said Philip Thomas, chair, Cannes Lions.
Simon Cook, managing director, Cannes Lions, went on to say: “Our community is facing unprecedented challenges and collaboration has never been more important. We are focused now on planning the festival – and our beating heart, the Lions – to ensure our community is able to recognize the extraordinary work it contributes to business, organizations and society.”
The announcement is a bit of a death knell for the main festival, whose fate has yet to be announced. A press conference is set for April 16 to announce if the 73rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival will go on in May as planned, be postponed or canceled altogether.
As of today, France currently under a 15-day lockdown in response to the pandemic. There have been 7,652 confirmed cases resulting in 148 deaths.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Nominations: ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘Sinners’ Lead with 12; Eva Victor Lands Most Individual Nods - December 9, 2025
- Ego Nwodim to Host 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards - December 9, 2025
- ‘Sinners’ Tops African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards - December 9, 2025
Interview: Cinematographer Łukasz Żal on Creating Death’s Point of View and the Magical Realism of ‘Hamnet’ 
Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Nominations: ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘Sinners’ Lead with 12; Eva Victor Lands Most Individual Nods 
The Lung of the Earth: Richard Ladkani’s Defining Portrait of Juma Xipaia in ‘Yanuni’ [VIDEO INTERVIEW] 
Ego Nwodim to Host 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards