June 4, 2020 - 16:27 AMT
Cannes includes Karabakh film in 2020 edition lineup

The film "Si Le Vent Tombe" (If The Wind Falls) by Armenian filmmaker Nora Martirosyan has been included in the list films that would have comprised the Cannes Film Festival’s selection for 2020.

Saying “cancellation has never been an option”, Cannes general delegate Thierry Frémaux said the 56 films would have competed for the Palme d’Or, as well as playing sidebars such as Midnight Screenings, Out of Competition, and Un Certain Regard, The Guardian says.

Martirosyan's movie is about Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) and is the director's debut feature film.

The 73rd festival was due to take place between 12-23 May, but after restrictions by French government effectively banned mass gatherings until mid-July at the earliest it was forced to call it off, before subsequently abandoning tentative plans to reschedule it for later in the year. The Cannes Film Market, the film industry trade fair which normally operates alongside the film festival, has been reconfigured as an online event and is due to run on 22-26 June.