After this year’s SXSW was cancelled due to the current worldwide pandemic the team have been thinking of ways of how to deliver the films can be accessed. Thankfully, Amazon has come to the rescue and have partnered up with SXSW to deliver some of the festival collection.
Filmmakers who were due to have their work screened at the festival have been told of the change and have been given the option to opt-in on the scheme. Those who decide to opt-in will see their films play exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S. for the 10-day virtual fest, which Amazon looks set to launch in late April.
The event will be free to all U.S. audiences
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“We’re honoured to be able to provide a space for the SXSW filmmakers to share their hard work and passion with audiences for the first time,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “It’s been a privilege collaborating with [SXSW director of film] Janet Pierson and the SXSW team to bring these diverse and inspiring films to viewers around the country. We are supporters of SXSW and other independent film festivals and hope this online film festival can help give back some of that experience and showcase artists and films that audiences might otherwise not have had the chance to see.”
Added Pierson: “Ever since SXSW was cancelled by the City of Austin, we’ve been focused on how we could help the incredible films and filmmakers in the SXSW 2020 Film Festival lineup. We were delighted when Amazon Prime Video offered to host an online film festival and jumped at the opportunity to connect their audiences to our filmmakers. We’re inspired by the adaptability and resilience of the film community as it searches for creative solutions in this unprecedented crisis.”
SXSW had previously announced its winner’s list in March.
