A little less than a month ago, in the wake of SXSW 2020 being canceled and the US beginning to finally understand the true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tribeca Film Festival announced that the 2020 edition was postponed. Since then, there hasn’t been any official word on what might be happening. Well, according to the festival organizers, Tribeca is taking portions of the event online and, like SXSW, is still going to present awards in a limited capacity.
Today, the festival announced plans to migrate the festival online, offering some programs for free for the general public, while allowing a jury to remotely screen official competition selections for later awards consideration.
READ MORE: 2020 Tribeca Film Festival Postponed Over Coronavirus Pandemic Concerns
On the competition side, features and shorts that agree to take part in the streaming option will have their films migrated to the secure streaming platform offered by Tribeca, where industry and press will have access, and a jury will be able to view them for awards consideration. The jury includes Danny Boyle, Aparna Nancherla, Regina Hall, Yance Ford, Lucas Hedges, Pamela Adlon, Marti Noxon, Asia Kate Dillon, and Sheila Nevins.
Other programming that will find its way online N.O.W. Creators Market, Jury and Art Awards, the brand storytelling Tribeca X Awards, and the virtual reality-focused Cinema360. However, if you’re in the general public, you will not have access to the N.O.W. Creators Market.
READ MORE: Amazon Teams With SXSW To Provide A Free Streaming Version Of The Canceled Festival
“As human beings, we are navigating uncharted waters,” said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “While we cannot gather in person to lock arms, laugh, and cry, it’s important for us to stay socially and spiritually connected. Tribeca is about resiliency, and we fiercely believe in the power of artists to bring us together. We were founded after the devastation of 9/11 and it’s in our DNA to bring communities together through the arts.”
Tribeca’s Festival Director Cara Cusumano added, “We want to ensure we are meeting the urgent needs of our community by continuing with 2020 festival programming that can evolve into virtual or remote initiatives. We identified these five programs as ones that could easily pivot online and still deliver the same impact for creators and industry. We are excited to share these most immediate announcements, while we continue to look ahead to our Festival’s next steps.“
For more information on the exact programming that will be screened and how to watch it, if available, you can go to Tribeca’s website.