Disruption in times of COVID-19? The hybrid film festival format Articles uri icon

authors

  • SMITS, RODERIK CHARLES

publication date

  • April 2023

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0954-8963

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1469-3690

abstract

  • The first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic had unprecedented implications for cultural sectors. With film festivals, music concerts and other cultural events being postponed or even cancelled, there was an urgency to respond to changing circumstances. Cultural events increasingly relied on hybrid or online formats to remain accessible for audiences. Because such formats caused controversy about programming and release strategies, they were easily conceived of as having a disruptive impact on cultural sectors. This paper puts such assumptions about disruption into question. It focuses on the film festival sector, which is increasingly invested in strategies of online accessibility and audience reach. The research is specifically based on the hybrid festival format. Drawing on case studies of hybrid film festivals such as London, Ghent and Rotterdam, it argues that their strategies and operations should be understood from the perspective of cultural change rather than disruption.

keywords

  • film festivals; film industry; vod platforms; hybrid events; covid-19