Sundance Will Again Add Digital Program to 2023 In-Person Festival

Ryan Lattanzio
·3 min read

The last couple of years, courtesy of the pandemic, have seen the Sundance Film Festival replace its in-person presence with a fully digital program. For this coming January, Sundance is readying for a full return to normal, but in 2023 will once again add a streaming component to its live festivities.

The festival takes place January 19 through 29, 2023, in-person, with an on-demand, curated selection to launch on Tuesday, January 24 with select films available to view online for those not in Park City or Salt Lake City, Utah.

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The digital offering showcases an on-demand, curated selection of feature films from the 2023 Festival, including all competition titles (U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and NEXT), as well as exciting work across other sections of the feature film program, alongside episodic work and short films. The 2023 Festival culminates with weekend screenings of this year’s Sundance Award-winning films on January 28–29, both in person and online.

Per the festival, audiences globally can experience a regenerated edition of New Frontier that tunes to today’s times, emphasizing independent artistic practice and environmental engagement at the crossroads of film, art, and new media technology. New Frontier will feature a cutting-edge lineup of multimedia works and keynote discussions on a bespoke spatialized digital platform beginning January 24, when the online portion of the Festival kicks off. For the past two years, New Frontier has provided audiences with a gold-standard destination to experience the Festival together while physically apart.

“We are excited to bring the Sundance community together for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, a celebration of independent filmmaking. After two years of being apart, our priority is reuniting in person, while still sharing bold new films with audiences across the country through online access,” said Joana Vicente, CEO of the Sundance Institute, in an official statement. “We’ve designed this year’s festival based on our learnings from previous years — embracing the traditions that have been meaningful in the past, while also looking toward accessibility for audiences and expanding the platform we provide our storytellers.”

The health and safety of the Sundance Institute staff, artists, volunteers, and audiences remains key for the Institute. All staff and volunteers working the festival will be required to mask and test weekly. The festival will request that attendees wear masks in all Sundance Film Festival spaces. Attendees are also encouraged to test and stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations.

“We can’t wait for our 2023 Festival to give a bold start to the year, with the help of our inspiring storytellers, ingenious creators, and engaged audiences,” said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival director of programming, in an official statement. “For 39 years, the Sundance Film Festival has been a stalwart in the independent film community, and we’re thrilled to continue to be such an exciting annual gathering for artists and audiences.”

Program Submissions are currently open. They close on the following dates: Feature film submissions close September 5 (official) and September 26 (late), 2022. Short film submissions close September 5 (late), 2022. New Frontier submissions close September 9 (late), 2022. Episodic content submissions close August 26 (official) and September 12 (late), 2022. Details on applications, including frequently asked questions, are available here.

Members of the professional community accredited through the Press and Industry offices will have access to the 2023 program in person and online through on-demand viewing windows. In-person attendance is being prioritized with a limited number of online P&I badges available.

Information on ticket packages and venues will be announced in late September.

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