The Projector: Park City in Chicago (Patreon)

by Keith Phipps

I’ve only physically made it to the Sundance Film Festival once, back in 2000. It was a good year to be there thanks to enduring movies like The Virgin Suicides and You Can Count on Me, but I think what impressed me most was the sense of possibility. Here were a bunch of unknown quantities and, when the lights went down, anything could happen. You could be seeing a masterpiece. (Or not. But the possibility was always there.) This year, Covid-19 forced Sundance to pivot to an all-virtual format, and while it would be a shame if this became the norm, I again appreciated the chance to see so many movies as they premiered, given that I likely wouldn’t be able to get away and go in person. I know I’m echoing what I wrote last year but, as an editor who traditionally stayed at home while others went to fests, it’s fun to be at the heart of things again (even if the heart of things is a futon in a room with an Apple TV set-up).

Extrapolating from that, would it be the worst thing for fests to become more democratic? I wouldn’t want in-person fests to go away, but Sundance’s virtual set-up has made any film accessible to anyone anywhere, provided they buy a ticket. I think this has been a bit under-publicized and I’m not sure of the economics of it all, but this seems like a win-win-win for moviegoers (particularly those who would have a hard time attending in person), moviemakers, and the fest itself.

So consider this a prompt: Would you “attend” more festivals if at-home viewing was an option? Or does that feel like it upsets the order of things too much?

Either way, Tasha and I will be doing a Sundance bonus episode soon. I’m eager to hear her takes on what she’s seen. (And just find out what she’s seen. I’ve been feeling my way through one film at a time. I’ve seen some good movies, but they haven’t always been the movies I was expecting to be good.) In the meantime, we hope you’re enjoying our Beauty and the Beast / Belle pairing. It’s a fun one and in some ways feels like the ideal we try to find with our pairings, where the connections are strong but the films don’t overlap so obviously as to make the conversation feel redundant.

And, of course, if you’re looking for items to read, here are a few suggestions:

• Surprised by the breakout success of Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”? So was Lin Manuel Miranda. The New York Times has a piece on the hit song and Polygon has a video of its many translations.

• Vulture restarts an uncomfortable conversation about Joss Whedon.

• Also at Vulture: Scream’s Ghostfaces, ranked.

• Jackass is back, but what does it all mean? The New York Times considers the question via a profile of Jason "Wee Man" Acuña.