Melbourne Film Festival in August Canceled Due to Coronavirus
The Melbourne International Film Festival, which was to have been held in August, has been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.Organizers said that the accompanying 37 Degrees South Market and the Accelerator Lab would also not go ahead this year.Australia is currently in a state of lockdown in order to ensure social distancing. All cinemas are closed. When federal Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the measures at the end of March, he warned that they could be in place for six months.The country has recorded 5,886 cases of coronavirus, with 46 deaths to date. Victoria, the state in which Melbourne is situated, has 1,158 known cases and 10 deaths.“The thought of a winter without Miff in our city is a disorienting one; deeply disappointing to both our organization and, I’m sure, our community,” said Miff artistic director Al Cossar. “It is a decision that was very hard but plainly necessary, ...