Over the last year, we’ve seen events in just about every industry tackle the challenge of how to replace a real-world event with something virtual. The latest example comes with the Sundance Film Festival.

Sundance has been running since 1978 when it launched as the Utah/US Film Festival. The festival evolved over the years, growing from essentially a local event to become a must-attend event for the larger film industry. Every year, it turned the little ski town of Park City, Utah, into a mini-Hollywood.

In 2021, the festival has made the decision to go largely virtual for the first time. Instead of standing in line to watch screenings of all the great films making their debut at the show, attendees can watch them from the comfort of their own homes. In addition, the festival has set up various Q&A sessions with directors following their films and various virtual environments that attempt to recreate the networking and mingling experience at the real-world event. I’m personally curious to see how this works, as I have found every attempt to take in-person networking events virtual has been largely a failure. It’s just difficult to replicate all the elements of walking into a crowded party/bar/networking event and start chatting with people you run into. 

Want to Attend?

While most of the full conference-style passes are sold out, there are still a couple of ways you can attend the virtual Sundance Film Festival this year.

Single Film Ticket - $15

Just as it sounds, this is a ticket to a single film. Tickets are only available in the U.S.

Explorer Pass - $25 

This option opens up a variety of immersive and experiential experiences. Registrants can view various Indie Series, New Frontier, and Shorts programs on demand. This pass also allows international audiences to take part in the show.

Films to Check Out

There are a ton of films, documentaries, shorts, series, and other content to view during Sundance. Here are just a few highlights to consider.

In the Earth - A horror/thriller about a deadly virus raving the earth.  Might be a bit on the mark for some audiences right now. 

 

A Glitch in the Matrix - A documentary about simulation theory, the idea that the world we all live in is actually a computer simulation.  

Prisoners of the Ghostland - A fun mashup of “western, samurai, and post-apocalyptic thriller” starting Nicolas Cage.

There are also a host of interesting virtual reality experiences for attendees to check out.