“The number of people who came to the festival last year who were first-timers was really moving,” says Jackson, who debuted as festival director with Sundance 2021, after having served as director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program for six years.
According to the Sundance Institute, there were 251,331 views of feature and short films and series through the festival’s online platform or TV apps. Online premieres will follow the in-person premieres, using Sundance’s custom-built online platform, which was home to the 2021 festival.īy hosting online and in-person events and screening in 20 cities across the United States, Sundance 2021 garnered its largest audience in history. Next year, Jackson said approximately 80 full-length films will be included in the program. Last year, 73 features screened at Sundance-down from the typical 120. In addition to carrying over the nationwide hybrid digital approach, Sundance 2022, like Sundance 2021, will feature a lean lineup compared to pre-pandemic years. And while in-person screenings in Utah will happen next year, doors will only be open to those who have proof of the COVID-19 vaccination. Instead, the next incarnation of Sundance will take place from January 20–30, 2022-not only in Park City, Salt Lake City and the Sundance Mountain Resort, but also digitally via 10 satellite partners stationed across the United States. On August 3, Sundance Festival Director Tabitha Jackson announced that Utah will no longer be the sole home to the Sundance Film Festival. In a time of uncertainty, there is one thing that COVID-19 made clear: hybrid film festivals are the wave of the future.