Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the Festival said in a statement, "No one knows what the second half of the year may bring and whether it will be possible to organise major film events again in 2020, including the Festival de Cannes." He added, "Cannes has therefore decided to adapt its format for this peculiar year. Here's the first initiative: Marché du Film Online, launched by Jérôme Paillard, Executive Director of the Marché. This brand new kind of market is organised in consultation and with the participation of many professionals from all over the world."

The online edition will offer virtual booths for sales agents and virtual pavilions for institutions. The market has a Match and Meet networking app for video meetings and will also offer online screenings.

Jérôme Paillard said: "In this challenging situation, the film industry is expressing a need for a spring rendez-vous before the summer. A survey we conducted last week among distributors around the world reveals that 80% of them are interested in an online market and 66% have the capacity to make acquisitions.”