Stopping the Flow: Film Circulation in the Festival Ecosystem at a Moment of Disruption

Abstract

AbstractDue to the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, we need to reassess film culture and the film industry as we have known it so far. The postponement and cancellation of major spring festivals in 2020 had a far-reverberating knock-on effect throughout the festival circuit and highlighted the entanglement of events and industry mechanisms based on regular rhythms, networks, and cascades. The canceled festival premieres left filmmakers, producers, and sales agents in limbo: subsequent festival participations, coordinated national distribution strategies, and theatrical releases were already being planned. Without a premiere, the entire circuit was disrupted. The value chain, based on the hierarchically structured sequence of certain festivals and markets, came to a standstill. With the usual windowed sequence unable to start, it was unclear what further distribution chains should look like. The disruption of the usual festival circulation structures has thus served as an accelerator for structural and cultural shifts. This article looks at the impact of this disruption on various stakeholders within the industry, thinking through the mechanisms of the festival ecosystem while highlighting the specific problems faced by different players and the resulting renegotiation of strategies and power dynamics, accounting for new emerging structures.