Vail Film Festival needs to be on your list
Just because you’re stuck inside doesn’t mean you don’t have to miss out on the 2020 festival season. While most festivals are either postponing or cancelling their 2020 editions, the Vail Film Festival is just moving to the digital space for its 2020 edition, holding a virtual festival May 15th-17th.
Run by the Colorado Film Institute, the Vail Film Festival works to bring independent filmmakers and student filmmakers together one stage to shine a light on all things independent film. If anything, moving it online makes it easier for those who couldn’t make it to Vail for the festival this year to show off their work and learn a thing or two.
If you were set to show off your work during the 2020 film festival circuit, this has to be added to your list. In a normal year, the Vail Film Festival is great, but especially now with it being digital, it’s the festival to attend in May.
Traditional Vali FF events are still happening
One of the trademark panels of the Vail Film Festival is the Women in Film panel. Fans of the panel don’t need to fret, as it’s still set to happen during Saturday’s events. Producers Ashleigh Snead and Mali Elfman, actress and producer Lesley-Ann Brandt, director and producer Alexandra Baretto, and CEO of the Creative Coalition Robin Bank are all set to attend.
The festival always offers workshops for students and professionals alike to improve their skills. Hosting a two part workshop, filmmaker Diane Bell will take on the task of teaching you how to get your movie made, as well as all the roadblocks you can hit and what you can do to avoid and overcome them.
Intimate Q&As
Normally, the filmmaker Q&A sessions don’t feel that personal when held with an audience of thousands in a big room. But having it digital, even if the number of people watching are still the same, is a heck of a lot more intimate.
You’ll feel like you’re getting to know the filmmaker and their style a lot better. Plus, it’ll probably be easier to get a question to the filmmaker if you have one. It may seem like a weird bonus, but it’s a significant one for people who really want to get to know fresh indie talent.
A variety of features and shorts
You’d assume that moving the festival online would mess with what can and cannot be shown at the Vail Film Festival this year. You’d be wrong. With a great list of shorts, documentaries, and feature films scheduled, there’s just as diverse content this year as there’s been in film festivals past.
Whether you’re interested in the moving documentary about the Peace Corps (A Towering Task), or a short with some dystopian/apocalyptic tones (Martha), or even a tragic romance feature (Lost Transmissions), there’s plenty of genres and filmmaking styles to choose from.
If you’re sold on the new digitized Vail Film Festival, you can subscribe now to their streaming site so you’re ready to go when the festival comes around May 15th-17th. We hope more festivals move online, and the indie film scene can thrive even in these trying times.
