The American director was to chair the jury for the 2020 edition of the Cannes Festival.
The Cannes Film Festival, which was due to start on Tuesday, hopes to keep American director Spike Lee, president of the edition canceled this year due to coronavirus, as president of the jury in 2021, said its two main managers. “Spike Lee is awesome. He let us know (…) that he was ready to be president of the jury in 2021“said Pierre Lescure, president of the Festival, at Figaro. “Spike Lee told us he would be loyal to us no matter what. I hope we get there next year“, said the Festival’s general delegate, Thierry Frémaux, to the British site Screendaily.com.
The American filmmaker should have presented, out of competition, “a great movie he made with Netflix“, Da 5 Bloods, which is due out on the online platform on June 12, specifies Thierry Frémaux. “This “surprise (…) should have marked the return of Netflix on the red carpet, out of competition of course“.
Here Iz Da Teaser Poster For Da 5 BLOODS. The New Spike Lee Joint Will Drop Globally On NETFLIX-Friday June 12th. Please Check It Out. PEACE And LOVE, Spike @strongblacklead @netflixfilm pic.twitter.com/C832EkGorS
– Spike Lee (@SpikeLeeJoint) May 7, 2020
The biggest film festival in the world and the American platform maintain complicated reports, and since 2017 no film stamped Netflix has appeared in the official selection. In 2017, two Netflix films were featured, including Okja by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, Palme d’Or 2019 and Oscar winner for Parasite. But their non-theatrical release had sparked controversy.
According to Pierre Lescure and Thierry Frémaux, the reflection on the alternative forms that the festival could take this year continues, around notably a selection stamped “Cannes 2020“, without jury or awards, and possible collaboration with the Venice Film Festival.”We agree on the principle of doing something together, but we wonder about the form it should take “, thus indicates Pierre Lescure about Venice, Thierry Frémaux indicating wishing “show films together“.
“With the Cannes 2020 label and the online film market, a ‘Cannes beyond the walls’ will be the third axis of our redeployment this fall“, continues the general delegate, evoking a presence at the festivals of Toronto, Deauville, Angoulême, San Sebastian, New York, Busan in South Korea or the Lumière festival in Lyon.
Regarding the cost of canceling the physical festival, Pierre Lescure believes that the shortfall “could be between 5 and 10 million“euros. But he points out that” lThe way the festival has structured its finances and its treasury by setting up an endowment fund.“. This fund”is endowed with around 20 million euros“, he continues, estimating that”the festival will never be a commercial machine“.
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