A FILM festival postponed due to the coronavirus is going virtual and moving part of its programme online to ensure audiences do not miss out.

The Glasgow Short Film Festival (GSFF) was due to take place from March 18 to 22, but has been rescheduled for August 19 to 23.

Meanwhile, the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), which was due to start in June, has been postponed, while the Filmhouse in Edinburgh and Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen closed from yesterday until further notice.

GSFF organisers have announced that 10 films from the programme will be shown virtually, with two films per day making their online premiere. Each film will be free to view for one day only on the festival website, glasgowshort.org, although organisers would welcome any donations. Festival chiefs are also working to ensure as much as possible of the original programme will be rescheduled, and will make more announcements in the coming months.

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GSFF director Matt Lloyd, inset, said: “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported us in our decision to postpone the festival. Guests, partners, suppliers and audiences have been overwhelmingly generous and understanding, easing the pain of what has been a difficult few days, for us and many other organisations and individuals experiencing the same challenge. Please stay safe during this extraordinary period, and take care of one another.”

The first two films to go online are How The Earth Must See Itself (A Thirling), by Lucy Cash and Simone Kenyon, produced by National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Sculpture Workshop, and Maneater, by Sandra Isacsson and Caroline Wallen.