Yet another film industry event bites the dust due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus. The latest victim is the American Film Institute postponing its Life Achievement Award gala to celebrate Julie Andrews, which was scheduled to take place April 25 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
READ MORE: SXSW 2020 Canceled Due To Coronavirus Concerns
The news comes from Variety, with a report that AFI’s annual ceremony, which was to honor Julie Andrews this year, will be rescheduled for a date in early summer., “AFI’s decision to postpone the event is simply in response to the rapidly evolving nature of current events and our promise to ensure the well-being of the artists and audience that gather each year to celebrate America’s art form” wrote AFI CEO and president, Bob Gazzale, in a statement, “This move will allow our full attention to focus on the many gifts that Julie Andrews has given the world.”
The news comes right after the City of Austin canceled the annual SXSW festival which was scheduled to begin next week also due to concerns over coronavirus, in the wake of several companies have announced that they were pulling employees, talent, films or events from the festival. In recent weeks, movie premieres such as the release of “No Time To Die” was pushed for later in the year to combat the rapidly spreading virus. Globally, over 100,000 people have been affected by coronavirus, with over 3,000 people having died in the pandemic.
Other big industry events like the Cannes Film Festival are still scheduled to take place as of now, but officials are closely monitoring the spread of the virus, according to statements. Likewise, industry event CinemaCon is also expected to proceed as planned later this month.