Cinemalaya Film Festival postponed due to COVID-19

FILE: Tanghalang Pambansa Building (Photo by: By the SunKing – Own work, CC BY 2.5)

As a precautionary measure against the threat of the global pandemic COVID-19, the 2020 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has been postponed as the number of infected individuals in the country continues to rise.

In a joint statement posted on their official Facebook page, the organizers of the film festival along with their partner organizer, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) postponed the event in August to an indefinite date to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus disease.

“We recognize the health and safety hazards that film production might pose on filmmakers and workers as they strive to meet the original deadline for the competition. We also anticipate the modified ways of ‘live’ audience engagement that might need to be adopted after the quarantine period,” read the statement on Saturday.

The statement also said the coronavirus crisis in the country has put on a sharp focus on the readiness of the industry regarding the health and safety of those involved in organizing the festival and its audiences and assured that they will “address the gap” by working with agencies and organizations.

“The organizers will also consider solutions for mitigating the economic loss that stakeholders of the festival absorbed. The festival programmers are also looking for alternative ways of delivering content to the public using online technologies,” it added.

The film festival mentioned their recognition for filmmakers for continuing their “independent initiatives to use the digital medium to inform, instruct and inspire” in the midst of these vulnerable times.

“We anticipate a new breed of stories and storytellers as we emerge from this defining moment in our history,” concluded the statement while also reminding the public to practice social distancing, washing their hands, and staying in quarantine.

The festival was originally scheduled to run from Aug. 7 to 16 at the CCP and select cinemas.