Melbourne International Film Fest Canceled Due To COVID-19 Pandemic

The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has become the latest cultural event to get canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was supposed to celebrate its 69th anniversary this year.

Taking it to Twitter, the management noted that they have taken the “difficult” decision of canceling the 2020 edition of MIFF due to the restrictions imposed by the Australian government. Australia is in a state of lockdown and large gatherings are not allowed to happen until the situation gets better.

The organization also shared a detailed statement on its official website where Al Cossar, the Artistic Director of MIFF, revealed that even the thought of having a winter without the festival is quite disturbing. But he admitted that canceling the event was a responsible thing to do amid the pandemic.

“It is with sadness that Board and Management of the Melbourne International Film Festival have taken the difficult decision to cancel MIFF 2020 owing to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The unprecedented move to cancel the August 2020 festival has not been taken lightly,” the statement read.

The statement further explained that they were ready for an amazing event this year but it would have been difficult to organize an event like this in such times. The management gave an assurance to all its partners and workers that the festival will be back soon and urged them to stay in their homes.

“It is a decision that was very hard but plainly necessary, responsible and required given what we all face together at this moment,” the statement read.

The management also announced that the membership or passes taken for this year’s event will be valid for the 2021 edition.

The 69th Melbourne International Film Festival will now take place in August 2021. MIFF is considered to be the biggest film festival of the Southern Hemsiphere as it gathers a lot of international stars every year. Last year, Celine Sciamma's Golden Globe-nominated movie "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire" was screened at the festival and went on to win the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

In less than 24 hours, MIFF 2020 has become the second major international film festival to get canceled because of the coronavirus. Yesterday, the world’s number one animation film fest, Annecy International Film Festival, was canceled due to the same reason.

The organizers insisted that the decision was made out of “respect” to all the health care professionals who have been working tirelessly on the front lines.

Australia has witnessed more than 6,000 cases so far. A total of 2,813 patients have recovered from the deadly disease while 50 people have died.