As many events this year have gone virtual on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, some film festivals also had to adapt and utilize online platforms, including Cannes. The panelists noted that the virtual route has so far offered both positive and negative shifts in the experiences offered by festivals.
As earlier festivals proved that moving online could be successful, it gave others in the industry hope that success could be achieved despite the realities and challenges that come with a global crisis, Jackson added. The Cannes Film Market, for example, had its June plans pan out with about 1,200 screenings – compared with 1,500 at last year’s physical event – and viewership times averaged around the full 80-minute length for many films presented.
“One of the things that I really take from it … was the possibilities of accessibility, for reaching audiences in the discourse around the film and the community,” Jackson said. “The Cannes Marche, that gave people confidence. That was an incredible value that people are like, ‘Okay, this might actually work.'”
“We learned to use the technology. I think that this is something that will stay,” Barbera said. “But there is something, how can I say, in the core of the spirit of the festival that we cannot give up. So I think that the festival will probably evolve, will use more the tools of the technology, but will remain a live experience also in the future.”