The Sundance Film Festival will be moving to an online-only presence for a second year.
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Originally set to be a hybrid event, it was announced on Wednesday that the Sundance Film Festival would move to an online only model. 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 artists, audiences, employees, volunteers, and partners from around the world, for an eleven-day festival while overwhelmed communities are already struggling to provide essential services,” read a statement from festival reps.
The statement went on to say, “This was a difficult decision to make. As a nonprofit, our Sundance spirit is in making something work against the odds. But with case numbers forecasted to peak in our host community the week of the festival we cannot knowingly put our staff and community at risk. The undue stress to Summit County’s health services and our more than 1,500 staff and volunteers would be irresponsible in this climate. It has become increasingly clear over the last few days that this is the right decision to make for the care and well-being of all of our community.”
The festival is still scheduled to kick off on Jan. 20 as planned and will run for the original 11 days. The festival reps said they will be in touch with all pass and package holders and ticket purchasers with an update on already purchased tickets.
