Apple’s plans to participate in the SXSW 2020 Film Festival to premiere new original Apple TV+ content have been dropped due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in the United States and other countries.
Variety reports has been planning to premiere three new Apple TV Plus originals at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, including Spike Jonze’s documentary film “Beastie Boys Story.” Also was scheduled was a discussion of Apple’s “Little America,” with docuseries creators Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Those have now been canceled.
Apple is the latest company to pull out of SXSW. Other companies no longer participating in the festival include Amazon Studios, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Panasonic, SAP, Mashable and Intel.
Despite those firms canceling their SXSW-related activities and the circulation of a Change.org petition calling for SXSW to be canceled, SXSW organizers continue to insist the festival will still take place.
SXSW traditionally attracts over 100,000 folks from around the world and is so far the biggest event to not yet be canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.