. In 2023, despite a new subvariant and chatter about a “tripledemic” involving not just COVID, but also RSV and the flu, Sundance is finally returning in-person. It is the last of the major film festivals to do so, and its revival comes with Vicente at the helm, having been named CEO of the Sundance Institute in 2021.
“It’s not that audiences aren’t coming out, it’s just that the people who are showing up may be different and the kind of movies that appeal to them may have changed,” says Arianna Bocco, president of IFC Films. “It’s more of a ‘smart house’ crowd, one that’s younger than the traditional arthouse audience of over 50. But I don’t think the content we’re making has caught up with that.
More controversially, the festival has opted to retain a virtual component. The bulk of the movies at Sundance will screen through the festival’s online hub as early as 24 hours after they premiere. Some sales agents are unhappy with the decision, believing it will make it more difficult to generate excitement around their films.
“I can live with it, but I don’t love it,” he says. “You can’t replicate the feeling that happens when you have a room full of buyers seeing and feeling how an audience of real people is going to react to a film.” For its part, Sundance says it has heard the concerns of sales agents, but believes that there needs to be a role for virtual screenings in the festivals of the future. To alleviate concerns, the festival has allowed films to opt out of a virtual component — but more than 80 movies will be made available digitally to passholders.
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