Seattle International Film Festival Canceled Due To Coronavirus

SEATTLE, WA — The coronavirus outbreak has claimed another Seattle fixture: the 46th annual Seattle International Film Festival, scheduled for May 14 to June 7, has been canceled, organizers said Wednesday. The majority of festival staff have been furloughed, organizers said.

"SIFF will be on hiatus for the next few months while the board and a minimal leadership crew, working reduced hours, regroup," organizers said in a news release.

The decision to cancel was made in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the region, and also to comply with authorities' ban on gatherings of 50 or more people, SIFF said.

SIFF is the largest film festival in North America, according to organizers, showing more than 400 films to over 140,000 attendees over the 25-day event. Pre-events and other activities begin up to six weeks before the official festival starts, and would likely be affected by the current crisis, organizers said.

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SIFF had previously canceled screenings and furloughed staff at its theaters in Lower Queen Anne and Capitol Hill, and said Wednesday it had planned to hire more than 100 seasonal workers before the cancelation.

The cancelation may pose a serious financial hardship for the organization, since SIFF had already invested in this year's festival, according to the news release.

"This is hitting SIFF at our most vulnerable time," organizers said. "When the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, we won’t be able to flip a switch and start back up with business as usual."

It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of the 46th Seattle International Film Festival amid the COVID-19 pandemic. #SIFF is on hiatus after the majority of staff is furloughed. For our full public message, please visit https://t.co/ce750uqzk3. pic.twitter.com/kgohwDwi9r
— SIFF (@SIFFnews) March 18, 2020

For those who already purchased tickets, SIFF is providing the options of deferring the purchase to a future festival or treating the ticket as a donation.

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