Vail Film Festival is happening online soon, all the reasons to tune in
The 2020 film festival season is definitely looking a lot different thanks to Coronavirus. While most festivals are either postponing or cancelling their 2020 editions, the Vail Film Festival is moving to the digital space for its 2020 edition, holding a virtual festival this coming weekend, May 15th-17th.
Run by the Colorado Film Institute, the Vail Film Festival works to bring independent filmmakers and student filmmakers together one stage to shine a light on all things independent film. If anything, moving it online makes it easier for those who couldn’t make it to Vail for the festival this year to show off their work and learn a thing or two.
If you’re missing the experience of the film festival community, this has to be added to your list. In a normal year, the Vail Film Festival is great, but especially now with it being digital, it’s the festival to attend in May.
Standing up for independent filmmakers
As Vail Film Festival co-executive director Sean Cross said, “An online film festival enables us to continue our mission to support independent filmmakers by showcasing their incredible work and honoring the winning films through our juried and audience awards. It also allows us to protect the health and well-being of our filmmakers,guests, sponsors, and the local community, which has always been our first priority.”
These festivals are the life and blood of independent film, so with most festivals being cancelled or postponed, it’s a hard hit for the industry. But the Vail Film Festival moving online still gives these filmmakers a rightful audience. They’re able to showcase their work, and still even get a distribution deal or sign for their next film.
Intimate Q&As and panels
Normally, the filmmaker Q&A sessions don’t feel that personal when held with an audience of thousands in a big room. But having it digital, even if the number of people watching are still the same, is a heck of a lot more intimate.
In addition to Q&As and screenings, the online Vail Film Festival includes the “Women in Film: Personal Stories” panel discussion. Hosted by Vail Film Festival educational and film networking partner, Stage32, the discussion will focus on the panelists’ personal filmmaking journeys.
Panelists include director, producer Leslie Alejandro; actor, director, producer Alexandra Baretto; actor, producer Lesley-Ann Brandt; producer and CEO of the Creative Coalition Robin Bronk; producer, director Mali Elfman; and producer Ashleigh Snead.
A variety of features and shorts
The festival will screen a diverse slate of over 50 films, including narrative and documentary features as well as short and student films. Films include Brian Dennehy’s final film “Driveways”, from director Andrew Ahn and writers Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen.
Also on the schedule are “What Lies West,” from director Jessica Ellis, “Drought” from filmmakers Hannah Black, Megan Petersen and producers Mark and Jay Duplass,“Toprak,” from German writer/director Sevgi Hirschhäuser, the documentaries “Fresh Tracks” about the launch of the adaptive skiing movement, and “A Towering Task” directed by Alana DeJoseph and narrated by Annette Benning.
If you’re sold on the new digitized Vail Film Festival, you can subscribe now to their streaming site so you’re ready to go when the festival comes around May 15th-17th. We hope more festivals move online, and the indie film scene can thrive even in these trying times.
