By Dr. Laura Wilhem
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 3/16/20 – In response to the growing concern worldwide about the Coronavirus pandemic, Cloud21 International and Kultura PR International, producers of the French Riviera Film Festival (FRFF), have announced that the second annual edition of the festival will be rescheduled to June 8th and 9th, 2020. Film screenings will take place at the Laemmle Film Center in Santa Monica, California and the awards ceremony and exclusive parties will be hosted at S Bar Brentwood.
First launched during Cannes Film Festival 2019, FRFF recognizes and celebrates short-form content created for film, television, Web, and all digital platforms. FRFF invites filmmakers from around the globe to participate in the two-day, by invitation only event that includes screenings, an awards ceremony, and a closing gala reception. Attendees and participants include filmmakers, industry executives, celebrities, media, and influencers.
“After thoughtful consideration about the likely downscaling or even cancellation of the Festival de Cannes, we have decided to move our festival’s location this year to Santa Monica, California in June,” explains FRFF co-founder Nicole Goesseringer Muj. “Often described as the Riviera West, Santa Monica should be the perfect alternative for our festival this year. We plan to hold the third annual installment of the festival once again in 2021 in Cannes, home to the most prestigious film festival in the world.”
Each year, FRFF’s prestigious jury selects winners for Best Drama Short, Best Comedy Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation Short, Best Experimental Short, Best Sci-Fi/Horror Short, Best Music Video, Best Lifestyle Content, Best Fashion Content, Best Director Award, Best Actor Award, Best Actress Award, and a Special Industry Award.
“Since we have changed the dates of FRFF to June, we also are able to extend the submission deadlines,” adds co-founder Gotham Chandna. “We invite short-form content creators living in a closer proximity to the West Coast of California to consider submitting to our festival. We also would like to invite all of SXSW’s short film finalists to submit.”
In 2020, FRFF will feature the out-of-competition world premiere of the short film “Characters” by director Kevin Asch. “Characters” stars include Danny A. Abeckaser (THE IRISHMAN), Lukas Haas (THE REVENANT), and Sara Foster (90210).
Filmmakers and content creators can submit their films NOW at: https://filmfreeway.com/