After two years of upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sundance Institute has announced dates for the 2023 edition of the Sundance Film Festival.
The fest will take place as an in-person and virtual hybrid, running Jan. 19-29, in Park City, Utah, and beyond, with selections also screening on Sundance’s digital platform.
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“We can’t wait to return to our home in Park City and present exciting new work from around the world live and in person,” stated festival director Tabitha Jackson. “We also have two years of digital exhibition and participation under our collective belt, and are returning to the excitement and immediacy of live events while retaining a powerful online offering.”
Sundance pivoted to a virtual presentation for its 2021 program, offering select physical screenings in markets across the U.S. The 2022 edition of the festival was intended to include an in-person component, but plans were canceled just weeks before the festival due to the omicron variant.
Despite its primarily virtual presence, the 2021 and 2022 selections made real-world impacts in the film industry. In fact, festival organizers noted that the program and the independent stories it highlights “reached larger audiences and was more accessible” than past in-person festivals as a result of the innovation, which necessitated the continued hybrid model for 2023. Among the films that debuted at Sundance over those years include the best picture Oscar winner “CODA” and best documentary feature “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” plus other award-winning and nominated offerings like “Mass,” “Flee” and “Passing.”
Organizers declared that the 2023 program, including world-premiere feature films, short films, episodic work and a full New Frontier slate, will be larger than those presented digitally in the prior two years. Pass and package information for both online and in-person participation will be shared closer to the festival, as will detailed health safety and vaccination guidance.
Submissions for the festival are now open via FilmFreeway, where programmers, led by Director of Programming Kim Yutani, will screen them. Feature film submissions officially close on Sept. 5, with early submissions due by Aug. 12 and the latest entries accepted on Sept. 26. For short films, the due dates are Aug. 1 (early), Aug. 19 (official) and Sept. 5 (late). New Frontier submissions close Aug. 5 (early), Aug. 22 (official) and Sept. 9 (late). Episodic content submissions close Aug. 8 (early), Aug. 26 (official) and Sept. 12 (late). Details on applications can be found on the Sundance Institute’s website.
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