Film festivals worldwide shift dates

As the coronavirus outbreak spreads rapidly around the world, film festivals are being delayed worldwide.

The 22nd Far East Film Festival announced that it will postpone the beginning of its event from April 24 to June 26.

Held in Udine, in northeast Italy, the Far East Film Festival is the largest film festival in Europe presenting Asian films. Last year “Extreme Job” and 23 other Korean films were screened at the event, and actor Jeon Do-yeon was awarded with the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement Award.

In Italy, there are currently over 650 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 17 people have died.

The 44th Hong Kong International Film Festival, scheduled to begin March 24, decided to call off the event until this summer.

It still remains to be seen if film festivals in China will be affected by the virus. The 10th Beijing International Film Festival will start on April 15, and the Shanghai International Film Festival is set to kick off in June. Chinese broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported that schedule changes for the two film festivals are still undecided.

By Lee Jae-lim