This is an open access book. This edited collection aims to document the effects of Covid-19 on
film festivals and to theorize film festivals in the age of social distancing. To some extent
this crisis begs us to consider what happens when festivals can't happen while films have
found new (temporary) channels of distribution (most often in the forms of digital releases)
the festival format appears particularly vulnerable in pandemic times. Imperfect measures such
as the move to a digital format cannot recapture the communal experience at the very core of
festivals. Given the global nature of the pandemic and the diversity of the festival phenomenon
this book features a wide range of case studies and analytical frameworks. With contributors
including established scholars and frontline festival workers the book is conceived as both a
theoretical endeavour and a practical exploration of festival organizing in pandemic times.
