Online solutions to the impact of coronavirus are being drawn up in the US as it emerged that top sales agents and the Hollywood agencies are quietly exploring virtual contingency plans should Cannes not go ahead or be disrupted in May.

At time of writing organisers at Cannes Film Festival and the Marché were bullish that both events will proceed, while the virus has already taken a costly toll on the entertainment industry with the cancellation or postponement of multiple events.

On Monday Stage 32, an LA-based social network platform that connects film, TV and digital creatives and professionals, said that starting next month it would showcase select films from the recently cancelled SXSW on its platform. The company’s community includes distributors, buyers and sales agents, as well as managers, agents, financiers, development executives and producers