The event, which was originally scheduled to take place from September 14 to the 17 in Toulouse, France, has been moved completely online due to a spike in coronavirus cases in France.
Given the rise in coronavirus cases in France and around the world, the French animation festival, Cartoon Forum, is joining the trend of online events and canceling its physical event, which was due to take place in Toulouse between 14 and 17 September.
The decision comes after the French government declared the region of Haute-Garonne, of which Toulouse is part, a “red zone” as the virus spread. This had caused multiple producers and exhibitors to already pull out from the event, with over 200 cancellations in just one week, according to the organization.
“Cartoon has always chosen to fully inform professionals of the real situation and it has changed a lot in the last five days,” organisers said. “With too few broadcasters confirming their presence on site, we think it is more honest to organise Cartoon Forum online only. Our objective still remains Business First, with the projects as the main priority.”
So Cartoon Forum is mimicking other major events and moving its business online, with a digital platform set up to allow participants to watch pitches of this year’s new projects. To this end, producers and distributors have been asked to submit video presentations.
The digital platform will house pitches from 15 September, following the previously released agenda, with online participants receiving a personal login to access the service. Videos will be available until 15 October.
Cartoon Forum will also ensure all information about projects is available via the event’s mobile app, including trailer and the evaluation form. The app will be ready to install next week, organisers said, along with a digital version of the ‘Who Is Coming’ publication.
Over 80 projects had already been chosen for this year’s event, including Two Little Birds, a co-production between Autour de Minuit (France), Palermo Estudio (Uruguay) and Can Can Club (Argentina).
