A stark reminder of the long-lasting cultural effects of COVID-19 was reaffirmed this morning when The South By Southwest Film Festival announced that it was already planning a digital edition of the March festival. SXSW thus joins next January’s Sundance Film Festival, as another major U.S. film festival going the way of digital screenings.
South by Southwest is an annual music, film, and digital festival that takes place in Austin, Texas every March - it that was canceled this past year due to the pandemic just days before it was to set begin. The announcements for 2021 did add tentative “plans for a 2021 physical event” which the festival is currently working on with the City of Austin.
Despite the cancellation of the 2020 edition, a bunch of titles have emerged as breakouts on the streaming and film festival circuit, those include “Shiva Baby,” “Shithouse,” “She Dies Tomorrow,” “Topside” and “The Outpost.”
Notice how European film festivals are going on as planned. This fall Venice, San Sebastien, and Deauville are all holding in-person editions, with social distancing guidelines in place — U.S. media were, obviously, not able to attend due to the E.U. border being closed for Americans to enter. Does this mean Cannes will go on as planned next May? Will it be the ultimate re-launch of the industry with a vaccine, hopefully, steadily, in-place by then? One truly hopes.
The digital SXSW will be taking place from March 16 – 20, 2021.