Toronto Film Festival Implements Pandemic-Era Layoffs, Salary Cuts

Shalini Dore Features News EditorThe 20th edition of the New York Indian Film Festival will go online, powered by Movie Saints, following in the footsteps of many other fests.Running July 24-Aug. 2, the digital NYIFF will open with the streaming of Geetha J’s Malayalam-language “Run Kalyani,” about a woman who works as a cook while caring for her ailing aunt.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterThe Jerusalem Film Festival (JFF) has shelved plans to host its latest edition August 20-30, and instead will look to hold a winter edition of the event this year, running December 10-20.The Israeli fest had been set to become of the first international film festivals to hold a physical incarnation following the spate of cancellations and postponements this summer prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Detention,” a school-set thriller-horror sited during Taiwan’s martial law or White Terror period, was Sunday named as best narrative feature at the Taipei Film Award, the closing event of the Taipei Film Festival.The film, adapted from a Red Candle video game, also claimed the best actress, best art design, best visual effects and best sound design awards. The jury called the film “courageous” for making a stand at this time.

The Toronto Film Festival on Friday opened registration and shared details for its first-ever virtual industry conference. TIFF's online plans include industry conference sessions, networking events and digital showcases of film titles by national cinema agencies.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterInside Out, Canada’s foremost LGBTQ film festival, has unveiled the 16 recipients for its RE:Focus ‘Emergency Relief Fund’, which was created in response to the pandemic and its impact on the industry.

The Toronto, New York, Telluride and Venice film festivals, knocked sideways in their planning by the coronavirus pandemic, have unveiled a joint statement that commits the long-time rivals to cooperate and not compete for film titles and awards-season bragging rights in the fall. "This year, we’ve moved away from competing with our colleagues at autumn festivals and commit instead to collaboration.

Also Read: Sundance 2021 to Extend Beyond Utah, Be Held in 20 Cities Nationwide and OnlineAll four festivals take place within a month and a half of one another in the fall, and they’re the first stepping stone on the road to the Oscars, which for 2021 has already delayed its ceremony to late April.Venice is meant to take place Sept. 2-12, Telluride runs from Sept.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Venice, Toronto, Telluride and New York Film Festivals have joined forces in an alliance that will see the prominent fall events, all positioned six weeks from each other, collaborate rather than compete in a spirit of post-pandemic solidarity.The statement announcing this alliance provides scant details of what concrete form it will take, beyond saying that they “are offering our festivals as a united platform for the best cinema we can find.” But

Tom Grater, Andreas Wiseman The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the film calendar with Sundance, Toronto and London the latest festivals to announce hybrid events featuring physical and online activity.Below we rundown the current status of some of the key upcoming festivals and markets in the next six months; this list will be updated as developments happen.Sarajevo (August 14-21)Bosnia’s Sarajevo Film Festival is sticking to its August dates and is pushing on with a

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe upcoming Venice Film Festival’s reconfiguration due to coronavirus safety measures has been officially unveiled.Barring complications, Venice, which runs Sept.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorThe Venice Film Festival this morning said that the 77th edition will go ahead from September 2-12 with certain changes owing to sanitary protocols imposed by the COVID-19 crisis.

Hong Kong director Derek Tsang'sBetter Dayswon the top prizes at the first—and perhaps only—virtual edition of Italy's Far East Film Festival (FEFF). Tsang's romantic crime drama, starringZhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee, took the overall audience award, the Golden Mulberry, as well as the Black Mulberry, voted on by the Shogun pass holders.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentAlthough the public part of this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival — the key event for the film business in Central and Eastern Europe — was canceled, the festival is pressing ahead with its industry section, Eastern Promises, which runs July 6-8 in an online format.Eastern Promises selects 41 projects in development, production and post-production from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North

Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival unveiled its first six competition titles for its 68th edition, including movies from Naomi Kawase, François Ozon and Thomas Vinterberg. Most of the movies arefrom the Cannes Film Festival's "Cannes 2020" selection, which is made up of films that carry the Cannes brand to the screen at other events around the world.

The BFI London Film Festival finds itself experiencing many of the issues that are plaguing the 2020 festival circuit. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many events to close this year and with the fall shaping up to be only a slight bit better than the spring and summer, events like the LFF are having to adapt.

Anthony D'Alessandro, Dominic Patten Sundance Festival Director Tabitha Jackson unveiled today in an open memo to the Sundance community what the 2021 Festival is bound to look like in the continuing COVID-19 environment.While recognizing that there’s still no vaccine, that many are unable to travel, yet socially distanced gatherings are permitted in Utah and other states, Jackson outlined what will be a current two-pronged approach in adapting the Robert Redford-founded event to the current

Beyond just movies having to abandon release dates, the current pandemic striking the world is having an effect on numerous parts of the industry. One such element, which we spoke about with filmmaker, journalist, and publicist John Wildman on a recent podcast episode (found here), is the world of film festivals.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentA group of 18 leading film festivals has kick-started a campaign to persuade film festivals running online editions to use geoblocking technology to protect the commercial potential of the films, and the ability of other festivals to stage local premieres of the films.The campaign, led by Thessaloniki Intl.

The 9th BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia is headed online this year amid the COVID-19 crisis. The virtual edition, to take place from Aug.