The 16th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has been postponed amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the event’s organizers announced on Facebook.
“We recognize the health and safety hazard that film production might pose on filmmakers and workers as they strive to meet the original deadlines for the competition. We also anticipate the modified ways of ‘live’ audience engagement that might need to be adopted after the quarantine period,” they said in the statement.
They assured that the organizers will consider solutions in reducing the economic loss that stakeholders of the festival will encounter while the festival programmers are looking for alternative ways of delivering content online.
“During these vulnerable times faced by fellow festival organizers in the Philippines and all over the world, we are heartened by the independent initiatives of filmmakers and publics to use the digital medium to inform, instruct and inspire,” they said.
The annual film festival was supposed to be held in August. A new date has yet to be announced.
