SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — SLO Film Fest representatives announced today that, at the request of the county health department, the five-day event has been cancelled.

Film festival organizers issued the following statement regarding the announcement:

“We will begin the process of working with filmmakers to find new ways to share variations of the festival’s program in the future, when it is safe to do so. On behalf of our staff, volunteers, sponsors, vendors and many more who have been working hard for many months to present what was set to be our biggest and best festival ever. It is truly heart-breaking but we know this is the right plan of action at this time. We appreciate the love and support we get from our community and appreciate your patience as we sort out the aftermath and determine the best way forward. There will definitely be ways to share some of these exceptional films with our audiences.”

Due to the “significant financial loss” associated with cancelleing the festival, organizers are asking that ticket holders consider “converting” their ticket to a donation, but said that all passess will be honored for next year’s event.

“Individual tickets will be offered a voucher good for a future event or the next edition of the film festival. We will be in contact with all patrons over the course of the next few weeks to offer more details regarding ticketing,” their statement read.

Questions regarding the festival can be sent to info@slofilmfest.org