Thanks to a quirk in scheduling, Berlin's European Film Markets was expected to see a record year of business activity from China's vast film industry in 2020. But due to the escalating global health crisis caused by the "novel coronavirus pneumonia," as the disease has now been officially designated, participation from Beijing film players at the 70th Berlinale will amount to nearly nil.
"EFM regrets the fact this first-time Chinese umbrella stand will not be realized,” Knol said, explaining that the companies that had to pull out from the project included many of China's largest film studios, such as Wanda Media, Alibaba Pictures Group, Shinework Pictures, Times Vision, New Classics Media, Beijing Enlight Pictures and others.
Knol said the EFM had received 59 cancellations from mainland China but none from Hong Kong so far. Five film professionals from other countries had also cancelled, citing the coronavirus as the reason. "Exact numbers are not known at the moment but a slight increase of cancellations is expected," Knol said.