Weeks after South by Southwest got shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, its organizers find an alternative to showcase the films that were set to premiere in Austin, Texas.
- Apr 3, 2020
AceShowbiz - Filmmakers forced to scrap appearances at the cancelled SXSW festival are taking their projects to the web for a new movie series.
SXSW, aka South by Southwest, was the first major festival to be shut down by the coronavirus pandemic last month (March), but organisers and directors have decided the show must go on and they have joined forces with Amazon Prime Video to launch a 10-day virtual event to showcase the films that were set to premiere in Austin, Texas.
The kick-off date for the Prime Video presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection has yet to be announced but bosses at SXSW and Prime Video are targeting late April.
"We're honored to be able to provide a space for the SXSW filmmakers to share their hard work and passion with audiences for the first time," Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, says in a statement. "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."
