Virtual film festivals pop up to help movie lovers stay home
South by Southwest, the annual festival celebrating music and movies in Austin, Texas, was among the first major entertainment events canceled because of the novel coronavirus. Soon, you’ll be able to watch some of the films that were scheduled to debut there — at home for free.
“Prime Video Presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection,” a 10-day streaming fest on Amazon that won’t require a paid subscription, will be open to all filmmakers impacted by the cancellation.
Organizers are targeting a late April launch, but until then, here’s a look at some of the other virtual film festivals that have popped up in response to the pandemic:
The AFI Movie Club: The American Film Institute has launched a daily screening series to keep movie lovers connected. Each day at 9 a.m., a different celebrity will unveil that day’s title here. Viewers then can interact with each other using the hashtag #AFIMovieClub. Steven Spielberg kicked things off Tuesday by introducing “The Wizard of Oz.”
Focus Movie Mondays: At 5 p.m. each Monday, Focus Features will offer a free livestream from its collection on its Facebook page. The event starts April 6 with “Gosford Park” and will include a “Mallrats” watch party with writer-director Kevin Smith on April 20. Each livestream will include a link to raise money for the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund.
TCM Classic Film Festival: Special Home Edition: The annual celebration of Turner Classic Movies in Hollywood has been canceled, so the cable channel is moving the party to television. Films that have played the fest, along with special guest hosts and conversations recorded at previous editions, can be seen in a marathon running April 16 to 19 on TCM. For a schedule, click here.
Alamo-at-Home: Alamo Drafthouse, the irreverent boutique cinema chain, is bringing its “Terror Tuesday” and “Weird Wednesday” events to Las Vegas — and cities around the world — for the first time. Each weekly virtual screening, at a one-week rental cost of $7.75, offers up a truly bizarre cult classic. On April 8, catch “Godmonster of Indian Flats,” the tale of “an 8-foot-tall toxic sheep monster.” Each movie is preceded by Alamo’s famed pre-show experience, a goofy mixtape of found footage, film clips and old theatrical advertising. For more information, click here.
Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.