One of the world’s premier film festivals kicked off in Utah Jan. 20. And this year the 27th Sundance Film Festival by now a staple of American cinema has completely flipped the entire system on its head. With the help of Brightcove the festival is now streaming all of their films online either live or via pay-per-view.
Some may say the technology was a long time coming seeing as startup companies like Netflix and Hulu have basically run long-time video store giants Hollywood Video and Blockbuster out of business in the last couple of years. With that said though it should be noted that Sundance is on the cutting edge of this concept leading the way for other film festivals all around the world.
Brightcove a business partner of Sundance since 2008 had previously only been streaming a handful of films on delay as well as interviews and other miscellaneous clips. This year’s massive expansion marks a turning point in not only the festival’s setup but also in how far the show can reach now that people don’t have to fly to Utah to participate.
Of the nearly 10300 films submitted only 118 were selected for showing this year making the festival one of the most prestigious around. Last year’s lineup produced films that went on to have major Hollywood success including “Cyrus Blue Valentine” and “Winter’s Bone.” The most successful though may in fact turn out to be “The Kids Are All Right which many critics think could pull off a Best Picture upset at the Oscar’s this year. If this year’s festival can match last year’s production, it will be considered a huge success.
The festival runs from Jan. 20 to Jan. 30 in various cities around Utah, particularly Sundance. Attendance is expected to be more than 60,000. And now, those who can’t make the festival in person can visit Sundance Film Festival’s official site, sundance.org/festival, or the festival’s YouTube page.