The Sundance film festival unveiled plans to screen premieres at drive-ins and arthouse theaters and online, as the movie industry continues to adapt to the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since its debut in 1978, the Sundance Film Festival typically takes place each January and February in the mountains of Utah. It was co-founded by actor-director Robert Redford, 84, and has been known for introducing future talents like Quentin Tarantino and Damien Chazelle.
"Even under these impossible circumstances artists are still finding paths to make bold and vital work in whatever ways they can," said festival director Tabitha Jackson. Most US cinema theaters are still shut down, and the activity in this industry is halted amid the persistent outbreak of the covid-19 virus in the country.
Online screenings and socially-distanced premieres at venues from California to New York "gives us the opportunity to reach new audiences, safely, where they are," Jackson noted.
A theater in the festival's traditional Park City, Utah home, along with two drive-ins in the Los Angeles area, are scheduled to host physical events featuring artists, while online premieres will be followed by live virtual Q&As.
This year, major summer and fall festivals with the exception of Venice, scrapped most of their physical events, or in the case of Cannes and Telluride were canceled entirely.
The shortened Sundance festival will run from January 28 through February 3.
Its lineup of 70-plus movies is yet to be announced, but may include films eligible for next year's delayed Oscars which are set to take place on April 25.
