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SAN SEBASTIÁN 2020 Zurich 2020

San Sebastián and Zurich to host a market during their upcoming editions

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- Both festivals have announced plans to create joint industry events that will include films originally selected for the cancelled editions of SXSW and Tribeca

San Sebastián and Zurich to host a market during their upcoming editions

The San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF) and the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) have announced plans to introduce a film market at their upcoming editions. In response to the recent cancellations and postponements of film-industry gatherings due to the measures taken against the coronavirus outbreak, both festivals are aiming to create a joint marketplace that will invite buyers from across the globe, with programming that includes films originally selected to be showcased at the cancelled editions of SXSW (originally scheduled for 13-22 March) and the Tribeca Film Festival (originally scheduled for 15-26 April).

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Working collaboratively with both entities, US-based company CAA Media Finance is leading the initiative to transform both cities into sales markets that bring together a worldwide consortium of agencies, foreign sales companies, distributors, financiers, and buyers. The initiative is supported by Wild Bunch and FilmNation.

"For the San Sebastián International Film Festival, the most important thing now is the health of film industry professionals and spectators. But we continue to work with the aim of making the festival’s 2020 edition a reality,” said SSIFF director José Luis Rebordinos. “If the health authorities allow the festival to go ahead under normal conditions, we want this edition to serve as an opportunity for films unable to screen at the festivals for which they were originally selected, to be shown to an audience of buyers and distributors and, at the same time, for these professionals, representatives of the most important companies in the world film industry, to discover the scope of the San Sebastián Festival, its line-up and its activities focused on the film industry." The festival's upcoming edition is tentatively set to take place from 18-26 September.

“We live in disruptive times which also shatter the traditional festival landscape and threaten independent cinema. Many high-profile titles are orphans of a real premiere their cast and crew deserve. We are therefore delighted to help out by holding screenings for buyers together with our friends of San Sebastián," said ZFF artistic director Christian Jungen. "It is important to strengthen independent cinema and to help those titles in their launch for the awards season. Zurich is one of the world’s financial capitals and an ideal place for a film market, thanks to a great infrastructure where you can do business in a leisurely atmosphere.” The festival's upcoming edition is tentatively set to take place from 24 September-4 October.

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