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Film Festivals Are Cancelled. Now What?

Filmmakers Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham at the Sundance premiere of their documentary "Crip Camp," later picked up by Netflix. (George Pimentel/Getty Images)

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Hollywood’s biggest names won’t be boarding their private jets and flying to the French Riviera. The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed yet again, and may not even happen this year.

But an empty red carpet signals other problems.

Film festivals are also film markets, where sales agents try to find distributors for independently financed features. With the Cannes, Tribeca and South by Southwest festivals all canceled, it’s going to be hard for new movies to land deals and get to audiences.

So Hollywood sales agents are scrambling to find new ways to market their films and bring them to audiences hungry for new content.

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