SXSW 2020, one of the biggest annual conferences covering the convergence of music and film, was canceled last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic last month, but it’s getting a brief second life online.
Amazon Prime Video is partnering with SXSW to offer on-demand streaming of the films that were set to debut at the festival in Austin, Texas. Anyone with an Amazon account will be able to watch the movies for free for 10 days as part of the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection.
“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,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “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.”
SXSW 2020 goes online
The launch date for the SXSW 2020 Film Festival collection hasn’t been set yet. Organizers are aiming to get the films out in late April. The festival also hasn’t revealed which films from the massive 2020 film lineup will be available.
Filmmakers will have to opt-in to the 10-day streaming festival. Anyone that participates will receive a screening fee for allowing Amazon to stream their film.
Some of the headliners for the film festival include Judd Apatow’s new comedy, The King of Staten Island starring Pete Davidson, The Lovebirds which is a murder mystery starring Issa Rae & Kumail Nanjiani, and The Green Knight, a fantasy re-telling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton.
