London, May 2nd 2020
In their monthly film magazine, UK Film Review announced in their May edition that they will be launching their very first international film festival in November 2020. The news was broken by their Editor-in-Chief Chris Olson, who stated the decision was made to make their inaugural event a Virtual Film Festival in order to bypass the current issues being caused within the industry by Coronavirus.
As one of the largest publications of movie reviews in the UK, UK Film Review have long been a pioneer of indie filmmaking, often promoting short films and independent cinema right alongside the big theatrical releases.
The UK Film Review Film Festival 2020 has already opened for submissions via the popular festival platform, FilmFreeway, and will be open until nearer the even in the autumn of this year.
Their jury will likely be made up of their house film critics, many of whom have a long running passion for short films, indie movies, LGTBQ+ cinema, documentaries and animation - all of which will have a home at the Virtual Film Festival.
Our VOD platform will also play a role, hosting the actual Virtual Film Festival! UK Film Channel will be hosting the films which get officially selected, allowing viewers from around the world to attend the festival from the comfort of their own homes (or anywhere they can get a wifi connection if the COVID lockdowns have ceased by then). More details for the various screenings and events which will be included in the UK Film Review Festival will be released soon.
What is a Virtual Film Festival?
Virtual Film Festivals are film events hosted completely online, whereby audiences watch films from their own homes. They have the benefit of reaching a much wider audience without the restrictions of a venue (as well as the expense), and can also offer viewers a more bespoke experience, such as the option to have subtitles on the films you watch, or integrating social media directly with the screening.
Many 2020 film festivals are looking to go virtual and this could be the start of a much wider appeal for online movie events. The use of Live Streaming for events such as Q&A’s and interviews with cast and crew is becoming commonplace, and for many filmmakers who submit their movies to film festivals, a virtual one allows them to attend without the financial and time burden that comes with traditional festivals.