The coronavirus pandemic is crippling the entertainment industry, including going so far as to force Cannes Film Festival to postpone for the first time ever since it began in 1946. So, as a fellow fixture of sorts within the independent movie scene, YouPorn has contacted Cannes Film Festival offering to help stream the event online, saying it could “guarantee an impactful debut for selected films” if the two team up.
YouPorn Vice President Charlie Hughes emailed the President of Cannes Film Festival himself, Pierre Lescure, to extend the generous, albeit unexpected, helping hand. Hughes began the email by acknowledging the difficult position Lescure was put in, as postponing a festival as legendary and crucial as Cannes is no easy decision. From there, he suggests a collaborative alternative: YouPorn can host the official lineup announcement and stream Cannes’ upcoming feature films in a “special section on our site”, and in return Cannes will benefit from YouPorn’s unique viewership as one of the most viewed adult entertainment sites in the world. After all, the show must go on.
“At YouPorn, in the face of a pandemic, we take our role in people’s now more socially distanced lives seriously, in terms of keeping our community connected and entertained. We’d hate to see this renowned event called off for the first time in its 73-year history,” writes Hughes. “We have a robust infrastructure already in place for large scale content streaming and would be delighted to help keep this esteemed event on track with its initially planned programming and timing.” Read the full letter below.
Cannes Film Festival was originally planing to be held from May 12th to May 23rd. When announcing their decision to postpone the event, organizers for Cannes said they’re considering “several options” of when to reschedule it, with the hope of kicking things off sometime later this summer. Already, coronavirus is expected to cost the film industry roughly $20 billion.
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that COVID-19 is no joke — even if some refuse to believe the global pandemic is as serious as it sounds — but that hasn’t stopped stars from spreading awareness with some lighthearted humor, from Foals’ hand-washing PSA to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Shaun of the Dead parody about social distancing.
High-profile celebrities continue to reveal they have tested positive for coronavirus, including actor Idris Elba, Lost star Daniel Dae Kim, NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, Game of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju, James Bond actress Olga Kurylenko, record producer Andrew Watt, Universal Music head Lucian Grainge, both Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, and possibly even country legend John Prine and Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien.
Stay up to date on all the films, TV shows, festivals, and other productions impacted by coronavirus right here.
