Washington Film Festival 2021: Background and statistics
The 2021 Washington Film Festival will be divided into two parts. Part ONE deals with the new context for Washington in 2021; The second part of its new film festival format will be released next week.
Radical changes in film and TELEVISION distribution during the global pandemic that has continued over the past year have led to a shift in viewing patterns and a rapid expansion of existing streaming platforms. These shifts reinforce trends that have been growing for years, long before COVID-19 wreaked havoc in the United States and other countries. Inevitably, the way most people watch movies and attend festivals has also changed. Some traditionalist analysts and critics deplore the shift and claim a decline in film culture. But audiences, festivals, the industry and the filmmakers themselves have adapted to the new reality. Those who mourn the end of a movie are often unaware of the latest research available on shifting viewing habits, trends in the domestic and foreign film markets, and the constant distribution adjustments of new technologies. This also applies to famous directors like Martin Scorsese. He can’t accept the data-based viewer algorithms that serve movie content in streaming deals, which are apparently replacing the traditional gatekeepers of film culture. His 2019 film, “The Irishman,” was produced by Tribeca and financed by Netflix for nearly $200 million. In streaming in 2020, audiences grew by 40%. Netflix alone added nearly 3 million new subscribers, and that growth is continuing now, but at a slower pace.
The 2021 Washington Film Festival will take place in September, and the best films will be streamed online, both nationally and internationally. Although fewer films will be shown overall, the Washington Film Festival will still draw large audiences.
As the Washington Film Festival will show again, streaming services have become the most important buyers, buying up films that premiere at festivals. Audiences watch their films through streaming platforms, and few viewers say they’re missing out on the cinema experience. These changes have increased the influence of the Washington Film Festival and the role of independent film production. The mission is to bring innovative and groundbreaking works to national and international audiences. Like the Berlin Film Festival’s talent Campus and its related initiatives, the Washington Film Festival actively promotes the development and presentation of new filmmakers through extensive training programs, financial support measures and mentoring. Washington also emphasizes the global audience it serves, international film production, diverse filmmakers, content, and early identification of new digital film production and distribution technologies.
The Washington Film Festival retains many of the features of a traditional juried film festival. It offers two grand jury awards, eight in the feature film category, and eight in the short film category. The list of winners is now being opened. The winner of the best feature film is MOONLIGHT from Dacid Gandy in the United States. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY, directed by Lvica Vidanonic of Serbia, won best documentary Short.
Of the 1,092 entries at this year’s Washington Film Festival, 141 were selected for the program, which includes 43 narrative features, 30 documentaries and 50 short films. Forty-five countries, including the United States, are participating. The program featured 29 international drama and documentary features, 27 international short films, and brought in 39 first-time filmmakers, 27 of whom entered the competition. Forty-nine percent of the projects were from female filmmakers, and half were from filmmakers of color.
Overall, the festival has achieved its ambitious goal of expanding its reach. Using modern distribution technology, it once again works with innovative and creative filmmakers to develop great programming, expanding domestic and global audiences, gaining more news coverage, and continuing to expand the independent production market.
For more information, please visit https://wdciff.com/
Media Contact
Company Name: Washington Film Festival
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: https://wdciff.com/
