The Film Festival is back and online
The lights may be dim at the Theater and Park City’s Main Street will have fewer packing the snowy sidewalks when the Film Festival begins its 44th edition Thursday night But if 2021 proved anything, it’s that the world’s premier independent film festival is more than its ski town locale
This year is back online and armed with nine days of high profile documentaries about everyone from Kanye West and Princess Diana to Lucille Ball and Bill Cosby, buzzy first films from known and unknowns, virtual gatherings and filmmaker Q&As. The festival had planned to return to the mountains this year, but two weeks before thousands were set to gather in Park City, Utah, organizers decided to pivot instead of canceling or postponing, as many have done amid the omicron surge
The experience of 2021 taught the programmers that not only could they run a successful festival online, but that films could still break through even when filmmakers, audiences, buyers, sellers and press weren’t all in the same physical place. Several films that premiered last year are in the conversation The festival also boasted a record acquisition too. The price was at least partially fueled by streamers needing fresh entertainment — a demand that has only intensified during the pandemic
The experience of 2021 taught the programmers that not only could they run a successful festival online, but that films could still break through even when filmmakers, audiences, buyers, sellers and press weren’t all in the same physical place. Several films that premiered last year are in the conversation The festival also boasted a record acquisition too The price was at least partially fueled by streamers needing fresh entertainment — a demand that has only intensified during the pandemic
In another hot title, Watcher, Monroe plays an American who has just relocated to Romania and begins to suspect she’s being stalked Director Chloe atmospheric thriller captures a familiar experience for women, and counts films like Lost in Translation and Perfect Blue as stylistic influences
Others have eagerly awaited follow-ups, like Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick about a 20-something living in Los Angeles and Cooper Real Smooth, in which he stars opposite Dakota Johnson
Some deals are already underway: Searchlight Pictures acquired Fresh, a dating thriller starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, to stream on Hulu starting March 4
Still, it’s a bittersweet moment for many, especially filmmakers who looked forward to the energy of an in-person gathering
One film, Final Cut, from The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius, even pulled out of the festival when it switched to the online format
But Jackson learned last year that the festival can be just as rewarding online
Though many individual films are already sold out, there are also still many options available to film fans and audiences for whom Park City was never an option. Jackson recommends the Explorer Pass, which she describes as a microcosm of the festival
Festivals allow us to elevate voices and perspectives that may not be what the marketplace is looking for, but certainly once the work is seen, then the marketplace expands to accommodate them, and that’s what we’ve seen throughout the history Being there first and helping to support these voices and these perspectives and people speaking truth to power, that’s what a ticket do, It’s an investment in this incredible freedom of creative expression
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