SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 28, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The Slamdance Film Festival will move online for 2022 after originally planning a hybrid format.
The festival will present its 28th edition in a virtual format running from Jan. 27 to Feb. 6, 2022, said a news release.
“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 Jan. 20-23,” the news release said.
“Slamdance will continue its virtual festival program with an accessible and robust lineup of virtual screenings, events, and live Q&A’s.”
The Jan. 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.
“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.”
The feature competition lineup boasts 23 premieres, including 13 World, 6 North American, and 4 U.S. debuts. Chosen from over 1,124 submissions, this year’s competition lineup hails from all corners of the globe, including Germany, Australia, Iran, Canada, China, Italy, Poland, and the UK among others. All competition films are feature-length, directorial debuts without U.S. distribution, with budgets of less than $1 million, a feature that has been unique to Slamdance since its founding in 1995.
This year the festival received 8,168 total submissions, of which 1,579 were features. Narrative Features, Documentary Features and Episodes sections are eligible for the Audience Award while all films and projects are eligible for the George Sparks Spirit of Slamdance Award and the AGBO Fellowship, the former of which is voted upon by filmmakers at the festival, the news release said.
For more information or to buy passes to this year’s festival, click here.
Sundance Film Festival officials announced Thursday that it will now require boosters for in-person attendees, as well as other safety measures.
