The nonprofit Sundance Institute today unveiled plans for the seven-day 2021 Sundance Film Festival, including a stop at the Rose Bowl Drive-In on an undisclosed date.
The event will be held from Jan. 28 through Feb. 3.
The festival started by acclaimed actor Robert Redford and named for the character he played in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” will be offered digitally via a custom-designed online platform (festival.sundance.org) alongside drive-ins, independent arthouses, and a network of local community partnerships.
Tickets and passes will be available to the general public beginning Jan. 7; further details will be available later this month. For more information, sign up at Festival.Sundance.org.
“Even under these impossible circumstances artists are still finding paths to make bold and vital work in whatever ways they can,” said first-year festival Director Tabitha Jackson in a prepared statement. “So Sundance, as a festival of discovery, will bring that work to its first audiences in whatever ways we can. The core of our Festival in the form of an online platform and socially distanced cinematic experiences is responsive to the pandemic and gives us the opportunity to reach new audiences, safely, where they are. And thanks to a constellation of independent cinema communities across the U.S. we are not putting on our Festival alone. At the heart of all this is a belief in the power of coming together, and the desire to preserve what makes a festival unique — a collaborative spirit, a collective energy, and a celebration of the art, artists, and ideas that leave us changed.”
All films in the program will be available online in the United States, with certain films opting for global availability. The full talks and events program, as well as the New Frontier section for XR and emerging media, will be available globally.
“Our Festival footprint has changed this year, but we are excited to bring an incredible community together in new ways to engage with new artists and new stories — whether they’re joining us for the first year or have been for decades,” said Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam.
“Our ambition is for everyone to come together, safely, wherever they may be, and participate in screenings on our platform at the same time. The Sundance team has consulted with artists, worked with incredible partners, and built a plan to welcome new audiences and capture a true Festival spirit,” Putnam said.
