UPDATED, 10:32 AM: The 2020 TCM Classic Film Festival, which was canceled March 12 amid the coronavirus outbreak, has set a “Special Home Edition” for April 16-19 — the same dates the fest had been set to run. Watch a promo above.
The TCM Classic Film Festival: Special Home Edition will be an on-air celebration of TCM CFF movies and moments from the past decade that people can enjoy at home. It will showcase films that have been a part of past Classic Film Festivals and those slated for this year’s event.
“This is a remote, ‘stay the heck at home’ celebration of Classic Film Festival movies and moments from the past decade presented on TCM,” the channel’s host Ben Mankiewicz says in the promo clip. “It’s a long weekend of films that have screened at the festival, plus special guests and rare clips of festival moments and other gems from the TCM archives.”
Several of the moments also will be posted on social media, he said. Here are some of the programming highlights, per TCM. The full lineup is available at the fest’s website::
PREVIOUSLY, March 12: The 2020 TCM Classic Film Festival is the latest casualty of COVID-19. Organizers said today that the event has been canceled amid growing concerns about the coronavirus.
“Nothing is more important to TCM than the safety of our fans,” TCM said in a statement. “In light of the increasing public health concerns related to coronavirus, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 [festival].”
TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz, who also serves as official host of the annual fest, delivered the news in a video posted online this morning:
TCM said “all pass purchasers will receive a 100% refund on their 2020 pass purchases.
The 11th annual event had been set for April 16-19 in Hollywood. This year’s theme was “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film,” and screenings were set for TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Legion Theater at Hollywood Post 43, among other venues.
Scheduled events had included a screening of Spartacus in honor of star Kirk Douglas, who died in February, and film critic and historian Leonard Maltin had been set to receive the third annual Robert Osborne Award.
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