Slamdance Cancels In-Person Fest, Goes Virtual; Sundance Moving Forward
There are two major festivals that kick off the new year, and one of them will now be going virtual-only. Is this is harbinger of decisions to come for centerpiece American festivals across the country?
Due to concerns around the Omicron variant, and for the safety of its staff, filmmakers, and audience, the Slamdance Film Festival will forgo the in-person portion of its hybrid event in Park City, which was scheduled to run January 20-23. Slamdance will continue its virtual festival program with an accessible and robust lineup of virtual screenings, events, and live Q&A’s running January 27-February 6, 2022.
What About Sundance?
As for its counterpart in Park City, the renowned Sundance Film Festival will be proceeding with a hybrid of in-person and virtual screenings, but with heightened restrictions across the board. Boosters are now required for all in-person attendees (employees, volunteers, contractors, general public, artists, partners, press, and industry) who are eligible and for who the CDC recommends, currently everyone ages 16 and older. The original dates of January 20-30 remain intact. Click here for the full rundown of Sundance’s elevated vaccination and safety restrictions for its upcoming festival.
Slamdance Forges Ahead with Virtual Fest
“Although we are disappointed that we won’t be able to participate in the communal, in-person experience, we know we can create a unique festival experience for all of our filmmakers through Slamdance’s online platform.” Said Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-Founder. “We are looking forward to utilizing the expertise we’ve already gained in attracting a global audience, building upon our accessibility goals and pushing the boundaries of what a decentralized festival can be.”
100+ fresh films playing online from January 27 through February 6th, here’s your first look with the just-released festival trailer:
The January 27 start date is a week later than originally planned, which allows the festival team to transition many of the events that were planned for the physical edition to the online format.
About Post Author
