Sundance Doubled Attendance This Year
PC: Associated Press
Sundance Film Festival looked drastically different in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the 11-day festival to shorten its events to a week. The festival also saw a decrease in the production and release of feature length and short films. However, the Sundance Institute announced that over 600,000 people attended the festival. This is nearly three times greater than attendance was last year in Park City, Utah.
To offset the risks posed by COVID-19, the festival was a hybrid event. There were virtual screenings as well as drive-in screenings at 20 locations across the country. Audiences tuned in to watch premieres from all 50 states and 120 countries worldwide.
Another big change caused by COVID-19 is the number of films that were submitted to Sundance. Typically, theaters show around 120 feature- length films as well as 50 or so short films. The number of short films stayed the same, but the festival only had 73 feature-length films. This shocking decrease is likely due to the difficulty filming in accordance with social distancing requirements.
A still from Ailey by Jamila Wignot, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
Courtesy of the Sundance Institute | Jack Mitchell
One possible reason for the increased attendance is an increased number of discounted passes, which were part of an initiative by the Sundance Institute to bring their films to underrepresented groups.
“The Festival met its goal of providing discounts to at least 20% of anticipated festival goers in order to increase access for historically marginalized communities and younger audiences,” a press release stated. “Discounts were provided to artist-support nonprofits serving or led by BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+, and/or people with disabilities. The Festival adapted its longstanding Ignite Ticket Package to the current Festival model by disbursing 1,000 discounted passes to young adults (18-25 years old) through the Ignite Program.”
Considering the changeable situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unknown yet what the 2022 Sundance Film Festival will look like. However, the increase in viewership points to strong benefits for a hybrid-style festival such as the 2021 event.