Unique Approach to Covid Concerns: Scottsdale Film Festival with Hybrid Approach

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As we all know, Covid has caused unprecedented challenges to all live events over the last 18 months, and that hasn’t gone away even as the delta variant has started to subside. Event promoters now have to deal with varying degrees of comfort with attendees being amongst crowds. The Scottsdale International Film Festival has adjusted appropriately with a unique approach.

This year they have elected for a hybrid version, with an in-person event to be followed by a virtual event. As Director Amy Ettinger has stated, they had significant success with their virtual event last year, but considering the desire for many to be amongst people and have a full-screen experience, wanted to combine last year’s success with a more traditional approach.

This year, the in-person component will have 22 films shown in two Harkin’s locations until tomorrow, November 9th. After the in-person aspect has past, those same films will be available online from November 10th through the 12th. The types of movies will run the gamut from dramas to thrillers, comedies to documentaries.

This pandemic has had an incredibly negative impact on the movie industry. Theatrical revenue worldwide was estimated to have decreased from $42 billion to $12 billion from 2019 to 2020. Income from digital entertainment increased by 31% over that same time period, but that is no consolation to businesses that rely on people gathering together for entertainment.

While the global pandemic has been difficult for all of us and has sometimes brought out the worst in many, it has also sparked ingenuity and creativity in many as we seek to make the best of our shared situation. Kudos are deserved from the folks at the Scottsdale International Film Festival for their adaptability and willingness to try new things in order to bring another great experience to Scottsdale.