Film festivals all around the world have been shut down or postponed in this “Year of the Coronavirus,” but in a massively generous move, many of them have collaborated with YouTube to bring some of their curated films to our screens at home, and all for free. We Are One: A Global Film Festival, truly is a world-first, and it’s coming to a streaming device near you from Friday, May 29 to Sunday, June 7.
Over 20 film festivals from all over the world (including the Sydney Film Festival) have come together to curate this one day festival that will be broadcast on YouTube to view for free. It’s an unprecedented move, as festivals are exclusive with their tickets and the films screened at them often only get a gradual release, but it’s terrific news for movie lovers during a time that has devastated the festivals more than ever in cinema’s history.
Notables contributors such as Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival (just to name a few) are set to include some of the films that were on their schedule into this global online event.
But with the festival to premiere in only eight days, there’s still no word on what films exactly are going to feature. Will it feature certain anticipated films that should have been at the Cannes Film Festival now, like Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, or Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, or Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Tilda Swinton starring English language debut Memoria? In just over a week, we’ll find out, though Cannes (and likely some of the other major festivals) are not cancelled and are expected to continue in a postponed and online state, so they may hold onto their big hitters until then.
“We Are One: A Global Film Festival unites curators, artists and storytellers to entertain and provide relief to audiences worldwide,” said Jane Rosenthal, head of Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival. “In working with our extraordinary festival partners and YouTube we hope that everyone gets a taste of what makes each festival so unique and appreciates the art and power of film.”
Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s chief business officer, claims that it’s “an event that’s never been done before and we’re proud to be the home for this fantastic content that is free to fans around the world.” This big screening will also ask viewers for donations to the COVID-19 relief fund.
We Are One: A Global Film Festival will be broadcast on YouTube from May 29 – June 7. Check out the official YouTube page here.
