The coronavirus pandemic has put a major dampener on the global film industry, with forced cancellations of a number of film festivals. This has cast a shadow on those held in Cannes, Venice and Berlin as well as Toronto, which is held in late September every year. But, now, major film festivals around the world have announced that they will hold a free digital event on YouTube, with the proceeds going to the battle against the COVID-19. The 'We Are One: A Global Film Festival', which will be held for 10 days from May 29, will be a joint association between YouTube and Tribeca Film Festival.
The festival will feature movies from Cannes Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival and those in Berlin, Tokyo and New York. The list of films is still to be confirmed.
The festival will benefit the World Health Organisation and local relief organizations, and encourage viewers to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts. Tribeca Enterprises declined to say what movies would be included, but 'We Are One' isn't expected to feature prominent feature films that were set to premiere at cancelled festivals like May's Cannes Film Festival or still planned ones like September's Toronto Film Festival. Organisers said programming will include movies, shorts, documentaries, music, comedy and conversations.
We hope that everyone gets a taste of what makes each festival so unique and appreciates the art and power of film, said Jane Rosenthal, chief executive of Tribeca Enterprises, in a statement.
Some festivals have experimented with virtual editions. Amazon Prime is currently hosting a modest online version of the Texas-based South by Southwest for both subscribers and non-subscribers. The Tribeca Film Festival hosted a non-public exhibition of some of its films for the film industry and press.
These are the film festivals currently associated with the event:
Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
BFI London Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
Guadalajara International Film Festival
International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM)
Jerusalem Film Festival
Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI)
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Locarno Film Festival
Marrakech International Film Festival
New York Film Festival
San Sebastian International Film Festival
Sarajevo Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
