With COVID-19 cases spiking around the world and in the US, the Sundance Film Festival has cancelled all in-person screenings and events and decided to go virtual. The US festival is scheduled to be held from 20–30 January in Park City, Utah.
In a statement, the organizers said they had been planning for a hybrid version for a year but had to scrap it just two weeks before the festival is scheduled to begin.
'Despite the most ambitious protocols, the Omicron variant with its unexpectedly high transmissibility rates is pushing the limits of health safety, travel and other infrastructures across the country,' the statement read. 'And so, today we’re announcing: the festival’s in-person Utah elements will be moving online this year.
'While it is a deep loss to not have the in-person experience in Utah, we do not believe it is safe nor feasible to gather thousands of artistes, audiences, employees, volunteers and partners from around the world for an eleven-day festival while overwhelmed communities are already struggling to provide essential services,' it further said.
The organizers said it was an extremely difficult decision for them to take. Their email stated, “The festival is important not only to the artistes and audiences who gather each year, but also as the most essential fundraiser for underwriting the [Sundance] Institute’s year-round artist support work. We are thrilled to be able to convene the 2022 edition of the Sundance Film Festival online, building on the success of last year.
"In addition to reaching global audiences, we forged a path for immersive online experiences that we are building on in 2022. And while we will be proud to again deliver an incredible digital experience of the 2022 festival, our belief in the unique power of gathering in person as an independent storytelling community remains."
The festival will now move ahead screening new films and XR work online, and continue the discussions with artistes over an innovative, globally accessible social platform and gallery space. The talent talks and events will be held virtually. Shaunak Sen’s documentary feature All That Breathes is slated to be screened in the World Cinema Documentary competition section.
Sundance will begin on 20 January as planned. Other major industry events like the Grammy Awards and the Academy Awards’ annual Governors Awards have been postponed, while the Palm Springs International Film Festival has been cancelled. The festival, which was due to screen several Indian films, will now be held in January 2023.