Quebec Cinema gala called off due to COVID-19 public-health orders

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Montreal — The Quebec Cinéma gala, which was to be held June 7, has been cancelled "due to circumstances that make such a large-scale gathering unthinkable,'' Radio-Canada and Québec Cinéma announced Thursday.

The two organizations say they are now exploring "various avenues to offer visibility to this year's finalists and winners." Details will be revealed at a later date, they said.

Nominations for the event, which honours excellence in cinema in Quebec, had not yet been announced.

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Radio-Canada's director-general of television, Dany Meloul, said in a statement that the organizers were "saddened" to have to cancel the gala this year, but "determined to find actions that will honour over the coming weeks and months the people who should have been in the spotlight at this gala "

The director-general of Quebec Cinéma, Segolene Roederer, also said the organization is striving to find solutions to celebrate "this exceptional year of Quebec cinema and award the much-deserved Iris prizes to our artists and artisans."

"We hope that our cinema, a source of great pride, can continue to reach as many homes as possible in order to entertain, enrich and calm us down in this period full of challenges for all of our fellow citizens," she said.

 This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2020.