Now that the lockdown restrictions are being lifted around the world, here is a selection of articles to keep you abreast of the latest developments in the global movie industry and the position of the French industry within this context.
During this highly unusual month of May, the absence of the Cannes Film Festival has dominated international news coverage:
"No red carpet, no winners," lamented the Dutch monthly magazine De Filmkrant
https://filmkrant.nl/nieuws/cannes-2020-geen-rode-loper-geen-winnaars/
"Cannes@home," announced the German website FilmDienst.
https://www.filmdienst.de/artikel/41681/canneshome
"Cannes is also gone with the wind," stated the Spanish daily El País.
https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-05-11/y-el-viento-tambien-se-llevo-cannes.html
"From Cannes to your bungalow," affirmed the Belgian website Cinergie.be.
https://www.cinergie.be/actualites/de-cannes-a-votre-cabane-6-films-cannois-en-vod-sur-cinechezvous-be
"A year without Cannes: Why it hurts to lose a festival that can't be replaced," explains Indiewire.com.
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/how-will-film-world-cope-through-year-without-cannes-1202230740/
To compensate for the closure of movie theaters, drive-in venues have enjoyed a new lease of life:
In Madrid, the Autocine Madrid RACE is offering a drive-in movie+dinner service:
https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-05-07/empiezan-la-proyeccion-de-peliculas-en-la-gran-pantalla-de-los-autocines.html
In Austria, a drive-in venue in the suburbs of Vienna is screening films on Friday evenings at midnight:
https://www.skip.at/news/autokino-in-gross-enzersdorf-zeigt-ab-freitag-filme/400053810
Salzburg's Amadeus Airport terminal has been transformed into an outdoor movie theater that can accommodate up to 330 vehicles!
https://www.skip.at/news/auch-salzburg-bekommt-ein-autokino-am-flughafen/400053806
"Virtual" events are on the rise:
This is certainly the case in Italy, where the distributor Lucky Red has launched the platform MioCinema, with Les Misérables programmed as opening film:
https://www.screendaily.com/news/lucky-red-gears-up-for-launch-of-profit-sharing-miocinema-platform/5149798.article
Another initiative comes from Movie-Ment, who have devised a program entitled "Al cinema tutto l’anno" that aims to reactivate open-air movie events:
https://news.cinecitta.com/IT/it-it/news/55/81963/moviement-village-cinema-all-aperto-per-l-estate-2020.aspx
And in Quebec, a new website, aimetoncinema.ca, wants to give a breath of fresh air to Quebec cinema:
https://www.cinoche.com/actualites/un-nouveau-site-web-de-cinema-quebecois
International press outlets act as a relay network for the first reopenings of movie theaters:
Norway to open up cinemas gradually from May 15:
https://www.kino.no/article1427893.ece
In Hong Kong, theaters are authorized to reopen starting from May 8:
https://www.newslinereport.com/cine/nota/hong-kong-confirmo-reapertura-de-sus-cines
Italy has set the date for the reopening of movie theaters:
https://deadline.com/2020/05/italy-movie-theaters-re-opening-date-coronavirus-1202936728/
In Germany, theaters reopened May 15, but not without controversy:
https://deadline.com/2020/05/german-cinemas-reopen-today-numbers-dont-add-up-1202935595/
Festival news:
The US website Filmthreat.com tells us about the creation of the Quarantine Film Festival in San Diego:
https://filmthreat.com/news/dont-just-sit-there-make-a-movie-the-quarantine-film-challenge/
Newslinereport.com has announced that the Guanajuato Film Festival in Mexico has been rescheduled, with a new "autocinema" program put together for its upcoming edition:
https://www.newslinereport.com/cine/nota/giff-anuncia-sus-nuevas-fechas
The German trade magazine Blickpunkt has published an article on the decision of the Tübingen | Stuttgart International French-language Film Festival to launch a crowdfunding campaign:
http://beta.blickpunktfilm.de/details/450629
International media outlets continue to publish reviews of French films made accessible for viewing online:
In Spain, Edmond has received an enthusiastic reception from the press—a film that was premiered on Salavirtualdecine.com, the VOD platform owned by the distributor A Contracorriente Films
https://cinemania.20minutos.es/criticas/cartas-a-roxane/
https://decine21.com/entrevistas/120111-entrevista-con-alexis-michalik-director-de-cartas-a-roxane
https://www.larazon.es/cultura/20200514/zmy6sddtlfbdfbukix2daw2v2u.html
https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-05-14/cyrano-es-intemporal.html
In the independent movie industry magazine Dirigido Por, we read that "School (and cinema) can save us," a statement made in reference to the film School Life, which was released on VOD in April on the platform:
https://www.dirigidopor.es/2020/05/01/los-profesores-saint-denis/
The monthly movie magazine Cinemania offers viewers Wonders in the Suburbs, a film described as a "political fable with a contagious cinematic charm":
https://cinemania.20minutos.es/criticas/maravillas-en-montfermeil/
In Portugal, Quentin Dupieux gave an in-depth interview in the national daily newspaper Publico to coincide with the VOD release of the film Deerskin:
https://www.publico.pt/2020/05/13/culturaipsilon/noticia/melhor-amigo-homem-blusao-cowboy-1916060
In Germany, FilmDienst has devoted a lengthy article on the work of filmmaker Mia Hansen-Love:
https://www.filmdienst.de/artikel/41701/im-affekt-7-mia-hansen-love-1
And in Hungary, VOX, a bimonthly film magazine, has published a touching portrait of Michel Gondry, dubbed as "one of the most imaginative storytellers in the world of contemporary cinema":
http://www.vox.hu/newvox/?p=17791
In Argentina, the website EscribiendoCine.com, a key reference point for the movie industry, shows its support for the film Pure As Snow by Anne Fontaine:
http://www.escribiendocine.com/critica/0005292-busco-mi-destino/
In the USA, Ioncinema.com paid tribute to the film On a Magical Night by Christophe Honoré:
https://www.ioncinema.com/reviews/christophe-honore-chambre-212-review
The Canadian website Seventh-row.com presents "Portraits of Resistance ... the first book about the French filmmaker Céline Sciamma, exploring her biography and her work."
https://seventh-row.com/ebooks/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-celine-sciamma/
And, to conclude, the Spanish national daily El País's men's magazine urges Hollywood to follow the example of the French movie industry in its "ability to upset the conformists":
https://elpais.com/elpais/2020/05/12/icon/1589272813_930888.html
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