Frameline, Inside Out, NewFest, and Outfest Form Queer Film Festival Alliance (EXCLUSIVE)

Tom Grater, Andreas Wiseman The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the film calendar with Sundance, Toronto and London the latest festivals to announce hybrid events featuring physical and online activity.Below we rundown the current status of some of the key upcoming festivals and markets in the next six months; this list will be updated as developments happen.Sarajevo (August 14-21)Bosnia’s Sarajevo Film Festival is sticking to its August dates and is pushing on with a

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe upcoming Venice Film Festival’s reconfiguration due to coronavirus safety measures has been officially unveiled.Barring complications, Venice, which runs Sept.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorThe Venice Film Festival this morning said that the 77th edition will go ahead from September 2-12 with certain changes owing to sanitary protocols imposed by the COVID-19 crisis.

Hong Kong director Derek Tsang'sBetter Dayswon the top prizes at the first—and perhaps only—virtual edition of Italy's Far East Film Festival (FEFF). Tsang's romantic crime drama, starringZhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee, took the overall audience award, the Golden Mulberry, as well as the Black Mulberry, voted on by the Shogun pass holders.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentAlthough the public part of this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival — the key event for the film business in Central and Eastern Europe — was canceled, the festival is pressing ahead with its industry section, Eastern Promises, which runs July 6-8 in an online format.Eastern Promises selects 41 projects in development, production and post-production from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North

Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival unveiled its first six competition titles for its 68th edition, including movies from Naomi Kawase, François Ozon and Thomas Vinterberg. Most of the movies arefrom the Cannes Film Festival's "Cannes 2020" selection, which is made up of films that carry the Cannes brand to the screen at other events around the world.

Rebecca Davis editorThe Shanghai International Film Festival is planning to take place in-person later this month, likely from July 18-27, according to Chinese and Iranian reports.Other large, in-person entertainment industry events such as the Shanghai TV Festival and the ChinaJoy gaming industry conference are also set to occur in-person soon, reports said, as the country opens further in the wake of COVID-19 despite recent outbreaks in Beijing and Hebei province.Chinese cinemas have been

The BFI London Film Festival finds itself experiencing many of the issues that are plaguing the 2020 festival circuit. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many events to close this year and with the fall shaping up to be only a slight bit better than the spring and summer, events like the LFF are having to adapt.

Rebecca Davis editorLondon’s Queer East Film Festival will run a virtual program of four free-to-stream Asian documentaries from July 3-31, as cinema closures due to coronavirus force its regular programming online.The festival typically seeks to bring rarely seen LGBTQ+ films from East and Southeast Asia to the U.K., but this year’s online iteration will be mostly available to viewers worldwide.Its “QE: Docs4Pride” virtual program features selections from the Philippines, China, Taiwan and

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaIFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles,” a documentary about one Isreali chef’s attempts to recreate some of the French Monarchy’s most delicious desserts.The film is the latest work from Laura Gabbert, who previously teamed with IFC Films on “City of Gold,” a look at the late food critic Jonathan Gold and his connection to the culinary scene of Los Angeles.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentA group of 18 leading film festivals has kick-started a campaign to persuade film festivals running online editions to use geoblocking technology to protect the commercial potential of the films, and the ability of other festivals to stage local premieres of the films.The campaign, led by Thessaloniki Intl.

The 9th BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia is headed online this year amid the COVID-19 crisis. The virtual edition, to take place from Aug.

festival announced Thursday.The romantic comedy, written and directed by Allen, stars Elena Anaya (“Wonder Woman”), Louis Garrel (“An Officer and a Spy”), Gina Gershon (“The Insider”), Sergi López (“Pan’s Labyrinth”), Wallace Shawn (“Marriage Story”) and Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”).Allen shot the film last summer in and around San Sebastian, a town located in the mountainous Basque region of northern Spain.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaIFC Films is acquiring North American rights to “No Man’s Land,” a modern-day Western set along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs Cannes kicks off its virtual market, the Venice Film Festival is firmly on track to hold its physical edition in September with plans for a real red carpet and a substantial, albeit slimmed down, lineup.The Palazzo del Cinema has now been reopened on the Lido, and fest staff are working from their offices.

Dave McNary Film ReporterIn today’s film news roundup, the Santa Barbara Film Festival moves back, Legion M is backing “Save Yourselves!,” Gravitas buys “Odd Man Rush,” a Tiny Tim documentary finds a home and The Creative Coalition is backing films about obesity.FILM FESTIVALThe Santa Barbara International Film Festival has shifted its dates backwards for its 36th annual event, which will now take place from March 31 to April 10, 2021.The festival, which typically occurs in January and is a key

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaBasketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson will be the subject of a new feature film documentary from XTR, H.wood Media, NSV and Delirio Films.The filmmakers say that they have been granted “unprecedented access” to the Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, whose dominance in the court helped drive the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships.

The much-awaited Cannes Film Festival which happens around May every year was cancelled this year owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. Indian celebrities like , , and others who usually walk the red carpet for brands also did not get to put down their best fashionable foot forward.

The selections for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival have been announced despite this year’s live event being cancelled.

“What are next year’s Oscars going to look like?” It’s a question the industry, awards forecasters and armchair pundits alike have been wondering as release schedules are scuttled and film festivals are canned amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.