LA Drive-Ins Will Screen Sundance Film Fest Movies

Always wanted to go to the Sundance Film Festival but never had the chance? Well, now it’s coming to you. Today the festival announced that its 2021 event will be almost completely virtual with “Satellite Screens” at drive-ins and independent theaters across the country.

For those of us in L.A. that means screenings at the Rose Bowl and Mission Tiki Drive-Ins.

Each year, the festival is a go-to event for the film industry. It has kickstarted the careers of acclaimed directors including Steven Soderbergh, Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay. It’s where “Get Out”, “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Farewell” made their premieres and documentaries that debut at Sundance regularly end up in the Oscar race.

Organizers of the nation’s top showcase for movies made outside the studio system said that rather than cancel the annual January festival (as happened to similar film gatherings in Telluride and Cannes), Sundance will proceed with a reduced slate of 70 narrative and non-fiction films- Those will be announced in the coming weeks.

All of the movies will be available to American audiences, with certain titles accessible overseas. Filmmakers will participate in conversations about their work after the screenings.

The festival also will stage virtual screenings of 50 short films and four television episodes, and has programmed 14 live, augmented and virtual reality works on the Sundance digital platform.

“Even under these impossible circumstances artists are still finding paths to make bold and vital work in whatever ways they can,” Tabitha Jackson, the festival’s new director, said in a statement. “So Sundance, as a festival of discovery, will bring that work to its first audiences in whatever ways we can.”

For more information on how to get tickets or passes check here in the coming weeks.

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.