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In a Texas military town, three girls teenage girls confront reality at the end of a fever-dream summer in “Cusp.” The film will screen at Denver’s Sie FilmCenter as part of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. (Provided by Denver Film)
Cinephiles, take heart, for the Sundance Film Festival is having its Denver premiere next week.
Last year’s version of the independent film whirlwind in Park City, Utah, ran Jan. 23 through Feb. 2 just before the new coronavirus arrived. And maybe not even then, according to attendees who reported serious illnesses after returning. That prompted The Hollywood Reporter and others to dub it a “petri dish” for early COVID-19 infection.
By Cesar Arredondo
Movies about a pair of estranged twin sisters, an ailing horse jockey, a traumatized monarch butterfly scientist, and a deaf family are among those with Latino actors in prominent roles in the lineup of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The program also includes films from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Brazil, and a documentary about actress Rita Moreno.
Unsurprisingly, as most fests since the beginning of the pandemic earlier this year, Sundance will go virtual but also offer in-person screenings in about 30 cities across the United States “public health permitting,” organizers have announced. The 2021 edition offers a slimmed-down film selection program with over 70 features and 50 shorts compared to the 2020 festival. (The previous fest presented 118 features and 74 shorts in 2020. That means about a third fewer films this year. Episodic series were cut from eight to four.)
It s reasonable to assume many WBUR listeners have a smart speaker and an upper-tier internet service provider. But it s probably not a reasonable assumption for all of Greater Boston. And it s definitely not a reasonable assumption for large swaths of the country. (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
As we explore what the future might look like for public radio, we can t forget that as technology advances, it inevitably leaves people behind.
The possibilities for public media inside the smart-speaker space, for example, are endless. But it s crucial to remember that the barrier to entry is surprisingly high. It means at least one device plus a fast, reliable, and generous internet connection. At WBUR, we are always telling listeners to ask your smart speaker to do this or that. It s reasonable to assume many of them have a smart speaker and an upper-tier internet service provider. But it s probably not a reasonable assumption for all of Great
“Welcome to the 2021 Sundance Film Festival,” Tabitha Jackson, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, wrote on the festival’s official website. “A new chapter filled with possibilities. Despite the challenges this year has brought, nothing could stop us from celebrating independent film, visionary artists, unique perspectives, and you, our adventurous audiences. So, for the first time ever, we are bringing the festival to
you both online and in the real world across the US and beyond.The heart of our festival is our community. The joining of artists and audiences forms something truly extraordinary. We invite you to explore the program, join the conversation, and experience this new festival with us.”
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Perhaps the most surprising thing about the program announcement for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival released on Tuesday is how much it looks like the program announcement for any other year of the Sundance Film Festival.
The festival will be dramatically changed in its form from previous years. Taking place over seven days instead of the usual 11, the 2021 festival will showcase 72 feature films, down from around 120 in 2020. The event will be an ambitious hybrid, decoupled from its usual home in Park City, Utah, with mostly virtual events as well as some drive-in screenings in Los Angeles and events at satellite venues around the country.