The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, scheduled for March 17-22, has been canceled.
Festival organizers say they were asked by the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department to cancel the event over concerns about the coronavirus.
In a statement, Festival Director Wendy Eidson said, "I know I speak for 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 their 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."
The festival says all 2020 passes will be honored next year and individual tickets will be offered a voucher good for a future event or the next edition of the film festival.
However, organizers say cancelling the event will be a significant financial loss, and they're asking ticket holders to consider converting their passes and ticket purchases into a donation.
The film festival says staff will be in contact with all ticket holders over the next few weeks to offer more details.
