Sundance plans hybrid festival for 2023
The festival will be held in Park City, Utah from Jan. 19 to 29
Though still months away, the Sundance Film Festival is already planning its 2023 events, this time going for a hybrid model.
After two years of all-virtual ceremonies because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sundance is finally returning to in-person events in Utah in January. The highly anticipated annual festival will run from Jan. 19 to 29, while online screenings will begin on Jan. 24, according to The Hollywood Reporter. All of the 2023 competitive titles will be available as online, on-demand offerings and the award-winning films can be screened both online and in-person on Jan. 28 and 29.
The Reporter obtained a statement in which Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente outlined the goals for the 2023 festival. The focus will remain on making sure the event is safe for all festival-goers, while also maintaining the accessibility the virtual festivals have offered the past two years.
“After two years of being apart, our priority is reuniting in person, while still sharing bold new films with audiences across the country through online access,” the statement reads. “We’ve designed this year’s Festival based on our learnings from previous years — embracing the traditions that have been meaningful in the past, while also looking toward accessibility for audiences and expanding the platform we provide our storytellers.”
Kim Yutani, director of programming, also made remarks in the statement. “We can’t wait for our 2023 Festival to give a bold start to the year, with the help of our inspiring storytellers, ingenious creators, and engaged audiences.”
Earlier this year, theGrio’s Cortney Wills sat down with director of the Sundance Film Festival, Tabitha Jackson, who explained the last-minute decision to go completely virtual in 2022 as the COVID-19 omicron variant surged.
“It’s pandemic life, it’s Omicron and thank goodness we designed this festival as a hybrid festival,” she said. “We already had the online festival up and running and staffed, which was a relief.”
Visit the official website for more information and key updates on the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
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