Cinéfest Sudbury gets ready for hybrid film fest model

Cinéfest Sudbury is getting ready for its upcoming festival, with a plan in place in case COVID-19 cases start to rise.

The festival is usually held at SilverCity in Sudbury and features screenings of films from the region and all over the world. However, due to pandemic, changes will be made to the festival.

"It will be a different experience all around," Tammy Frick, executive director of the festival said. "But the great thing is the access will be there."

Frick says they will do about three screenings a day in the theatre.

"They'll be timed a way that we can make sure from a regulatory standpoint that the theatres are being properly cleaned," she said.

"That we're maintaining physical distancing for people who are coming and going."

There is an option for people who don't want to physically go to the theatre. Frick says people will be able to access the festival online.

"Whether you choose to come out in person or gather a few people in your home and have it play through your Apple TV, whatever you're most comfortable with, at least you'll have access to these great films," she said.

Frick says they do plan to incorporate the question-and-answer period with the filmmakers. 

She says they hope to have local filmmakers and producers appear in person and says others in the industry will take part online.

"If anything, it gives us access to international guests in a bigger way," she said.

"In a sense that will even be heightened this year because of the virtual platform."

Frick says they planned the hybrid model so they can shift to an online festival in case COVID-19 cases start to rise.

"We're still six weeks out [and] things can change by the week," she said.

On Thursday, Cinéfest organizers will hold a media conference to release the lineup. Frick says it includes a free, two-day virtual screening of 'The Artist's Wife.'

"We would love for people to have access to a screening to see what it feels like," she said.