SF International Film Festival canceled amid coronavirus concerns

View of the marquee for the opening night of the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre on April 21, 2016 in San Francisco. View of the marquee for the opening night of the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre on April 21, 2016 in San Francisco. Photo: Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images Photo: Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close SF International Film Festival canceled amid coronavirus concerns 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

SF Film has canceled the 63rd annual San Francisco International Film Festival out of concerns for public safety amidst the coronavirus outbreak, the organization announced early Friday evening.

The fest was originally scheduled to take place April 8-21, 2020.

"This is unprecedented in the 63-year history of this event, and we are devastated by this news," festival organizers wrote in a press release. They added that next week, they still plan to publish the lineup of films that were scheduled for screening.

For decades, the festival has screened hundreds of acclaimed international films and attracted major stars for discussions and panels. In recent years, guests have included Laura Dern, Olivia Wilde, Kevin Bacon, Richard Gere, Kate Beckinsale, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Maude Apatow and Jenny Slate.

"We remain champions of the filmmakers whose work we were planning to share with our audiences, and we intend to continue supporting them in reaching audiences in any way we can," organizers said.

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Alyssa Pereira is an SFGate digital editor. Email: alyssa.pereira@sfgate.com | Twitter: @alyspereira

