- YouTube is teaming up with film festivals from all over the world to stream a virtual film festival that will take place from May 29th – June 7th, 2020.
- We Are One: A Global Film Festival will be free to watch, featuring films, shorts, and more.
- YouTube will ask viewers to donate to COVID-19 relief funds throughout the festival’s run.
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The film industry, like many other industries, has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Theaters around the world have been forced to close due to social distancing guidelines, and production on virtually every movie and TV show currently in development has been halted. As difficult of a transition as it has been, the pandemic has also forced studios to think on their feet, and it has been fascinating to watch them adapt on the fly.
Just this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trolls World Tour — which was released digitally on the same day that it was originally set to arrive in theaters — has made over $100 million. In three weeks, the animated sequel has already generated more revenue than the original did during its five-month theatrical run.
Resourcefulness like this is going to be necessary in the coming months, and to that point, YouTube will be hosting a virtual film festival this summer in coordination with some of the world’s biggest festivals.
We Are One: A Global Film Festival will run from May 29th – June 7th, 2020, and will feature programming curated by 20 of the top film festivals from around the world. The new festival will be completely free to watch, with films, shorts, documentaries, music, comedy, and panel discussions (and no ads) throughout the 10 days. No specific content was announced for the festival, but a full schedule will be available in the coming weeks. Viewers will be asked to donate while streaming the festival, and YouTube says all the money will go to benefit COVID-19 relief funds.
These are the festivals curating programming for the event: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM), Jerusalem Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and Venice Film Festival
“We Are One: A Global Film Festival unites curators, artists and storytellers to entertain and provide relief to audiences worldwide,” Jane Rosenthal, head of Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival, said in a statement. “In working with our extraordinary festival partners and YouTube we hope that everyone gets a taste of what makes each festival so unique and appreciates the art and power of film.”
