This year’s mostly virtual version of the Sundance Film Festival can’t possibly live up to the heady atmosphere that regulars expect. Sundance, and the deal-making that comes with it, thrives on the in-person experience of crowded lobbies and bars along historic Main Street in Park City, Utah, between and after screenings.
But, perhaps counterintuitively, some attendees tuning in to the film premieres digitally because of the pandemic still see Sundance 2021 as a major opportunity.
Just ask the executives from Shout! Factory, the Los Angeles-based independent film distributor. Buying a hot title at Sundance for the first time could represent a significant step for the 18-year-old company that made a name for itself selling “Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVDs.