The New York Film Festival will be a hybrid one.
They’ve just sent out a query for film submissions and also announced their dates. The festival begins September 24th and it will a mix of in person and virtual screenings.
The pandemic has hobbled all the festivals. Lincoln Center isn’t open now, and they’re not taking chances in the fall. The pandemic has really hit the finances of the Festival which can’t do fundraising galas like their Chaplin Awards.
It’s interesting how the Film Society of Lincoln Center is wording all this. The Tribeca Film Festival, which runs in June, many months earlier, is thinking people will come to theaters to see their films. They’re holding a big premiere night at the 3,000 seat United Palace Theater in Washington Heights.
The New York Film Festival depends on the Walter Reade Theater, Alice Tully Hall, and Geffen Hall for premieres. Geffen is closed for renovations. But Alice Tully and Walter Reade in September? Even with limited seating? We’ll see.
