More than 130 short films will be available to watch online as part of Norwich Film Festival.
In November, the fastest growing film festival in the UK will go online for the first time due to coronavirus.
The line-up includes 132 short films which will be available to stream on an online platform built by New Zealand-based streaming giant Shift72.
The online move means people across the world will be able to enjoy the festival, while there will be additional features such as filmmaker introductions and behind the scenes content.
But the festival will follow its usual format, with the programme featuring the return of strands including emerging talent, LGBTQ+, women in film and late night short.
It comes after the festival revealed it had once again surpassed its own submission records, with a total of 1268 short films being submitted to the festival from 55 countries - an increase of 56pc on the previous record set in 2019.
Kellen Playford, founder and lead consultant, said: “While this has been an incredibly difficult year for all of us working within the arts sector, we are considerably lucky to have the opportunity to develop an online version of the festival. The ability to embrace innovative technologies allows us to reach new audiences and give our filmmakers an even bigger platform to showcase their work.”
Depending on the safety regulations in place in November, the festival also aims to maintain a reduced physical presence in the city as part of the adapted format, with specific details to be confirmed in the coming months.
John Gordon-Saker, chairman, said: “The festival goes from strength to strength and, unlike many other cultural events that have been cancelled as a result of Covid-19, we are fortunate to have a medium that transfers well to the digital world. In fact, we hope to see viewing numbers increase giving us a stronger and wider audience base in 2021.”
Audiences will be able to purchase a range of different passes, giving them access to individual films, specific strands or the entire selection throughout the duration of the festival.
Prices and details of when passes can be purchased will be confirmed at a later date.
For more information www.norwichfilmfestival.co.uk/films
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