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For the first time in its 67-year history, the Sydney Film Festival will go virtual. Or, at least part of it.

The annual festival, which was scheduled to run from June 3-14, was cancelled on March 18 following bans on gatherings of more than 500 people. But organisers hinted at a make-up version that would "celebrate film and filmmakers", The Sydney Morning Herald reported. 

Around 30 films will be screened as part of the virtual festival, running online from June 10 to June 21, with a focus on Australian documentaries and local short films, plus the festival's recurring program Europe! Voices of Women in Film highlighting female filmmakers from Europe.

Sydney Film Festival chief executive Leigh Small said the virtual instalment would be a "tight, award-focused" version celebrating key programs that "define the Sydney Film Festival", including the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary and the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films.

"Both of these events are very important to Australian filmmakers – the Documentary Australia Foundation Award is a pinnacle for feature-length documentaries each year, and the Dendy Awards have launched the careers of filmmakers for almost 70 years – so we thought it was important to continue with those awards," she said.

The full program for the 67th Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition and Awards will be revealed on May 27, with tickets on sale the same day.