
The Archaeology Channel (TAC) International Film Festival, organized by Eugene, Oregon nonprofit, Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI), opens its 17th annual edition on May 13 and runs through May 17, all online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the ongoing circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Napa Valley Film Festival which was slated to take place in November 2020, announced that the festival will now be held the following year from November 10 – 14, 2021.

Ahead of Earth Day, National Geographic Documentary Films announced a new documentary short, Akashinga: The Brave Ones. Executive produced by three-time Academy Award winner James Cameron and directed by Maria Wilhelm, executive director of the Avatar Alliance Foundation, the film tells the story of Akashinga, the all-female anti-poaching unit in Zimbabwe that is facing down poachers and saving wildlife. Akashinga: The Brave Ones will have its world premiere at the EarthxFilm Festival, which will be held virtually April 22 to 27 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The documentary short is also an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival and will broadcast on National Geographic later this year in 171 countries and 43 languages.

Cannes Film Festival is running out of options for a 2020 festival, following the French President’s statement on Monday banning any large festivals and events with large audiences before mid-July at the earliest.

EarthxFilm unveiled its lineup of virtual programming celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, including 36 features and shorts; virtual options for XR experiences; various filmmaker, youth leader live-streams, Q&A’s, panels, live music and EarthxFilmYouth programming. Kicking off with Music on April 17 at 6:00PM EST, EarthxFilm will present the bulk of its programming, including Brett Falentine’s FIRE ON THE HILL: THE COWBOYS OF SOUTH CENTRAL L.A., Alexander John Glustrom’s MOSSVILLE: WHEN GREAT TREES FALL, David Byars’ PUBLIC TRUST, and Deia Schlosberg’s THE STORY OF PLASTIC on April 22-27.

499, the fourth feature film by director Rodrigo Reyes, will have its world premiere as part of the official documentary competition at the 19th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, followed by its Canadian premiere in the International Spectrum competition at the 2020 edition of the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in Toronto.

Oxford Film Festival unveiled its Weekly Virtual Film Festival series showcasing films that were programmed for the 2020 edition of the popular film festival. Beginning with the first week, scheduled for April 24-May 1, the Oxford Film Festival will roll out a different series of films each successive week, with themed presentations, throughout the summer and fall as an initial alternative to film festival that was postponed from March.

Miami Film Festival will present online the World Premiere of the Canadian documentary They Call Me Dr. Miami, directed by Jean-Simon Chartier, after the original world premiere at its 37th edition in March was cancelled due to a mid-festival termination of public screenings, out of concern for health and safety during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic outbreak.

Cleveland International Film Festival revealed the details about CIFF44 Streams, part of CIFF44 Reinvented, the re-imagined 2020 festival in response to COVID-19 epidemic. CIFF44 Streams will give film lovers the ability to create a personalized Festival experience from their homes during this important time of social distancing.

The Mexican production “50 o Dos Ballenas se Encuentran en la Playa” directed by Jorge Cuchí was awarded the Films in Progress Toulouse Award and the Special Ciné+ in Progress Award at the 2020 Films in Progress Toulouse organized by the San Sebastian Festival and Cinélatino, Rencontres de Toulouse.

The 2020 Sun Valley Film Festival (SVFF), which had been scheduled to take place in March, but was cancelled due to Covid-19, still awarded numerous prizes and mentorship opportunities to independent filmmakers whose films were either confirmed to screen or were eligible for prizes.

Twelve documentary films from prestigious international film festivals including three Polish films will be competing for a Golden Horn and Silver Horns in the international documentary competition at the 60th Krakow Film Festival which will now take place entirely online due to coronavirus pandemic.