In a time when ‘media convergence’ is a general buzz phrase and when cinema operators fear that the wave of digitalization might extinguish cinephilia as we know it, there has been a proliferation of hybrid forms where film festivals make use of or altogether migrate to the Internet. The label “online film festival” is not an easy one to define. Many major festivals also show a selection of (short) films online (Sundance, Berlinale), some festivals only exist in the virtual world (e.g. Babelgum Online Film Festival), and other ones let audiences vote online and then they screen the winning films in a conventional cinema (Bitfilm, Hamburg). The pieces collected under this rubric provide different views on this issue.
We renamed the former subsection (9.4) Online Film Festivals, which is now called Film Festivals and New Media Platforms. This change acknowledges the emergence of a number of film festivals dedicated to new media content and platforms, such as film festivals focusing on iPhone or mobile products. Although not many (academic) studies are available on this topic yet we anticipate a change in the near future.
Akser, Murat. 2015. “New Media and Film Festivals in the Middle East.” cinej 4 (1): 110–21. https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2014.120.
Armstrong, Kathryn. 2021. “Virtual Visibility and the Film Festival Circuit.” Afterimage 48 (1): 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2021.48.1.10.
Aydemir, Aylin Pınar. 2022. “Yeni Dönem, Yeni Festivaller?” In Film Festivalleri E-Kitabi 1: 10-11 Kasim 2021, Ankara, edited by Hakan Erkılıç, 315–30. Ankara: De Ki Basim Yayim. [New Era, New Festivals?].
Aydın, Tuncer Mert. 2022. “Covid-19 Pandemisi Sürecinde Almanya Ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde Ulusötesi Türk Film Festivallerinin Yapısı.” In Film Festivalleri E-Kitabi 1: 10-11 Kasim 2021, Ankara, edited by Hakan Erkılıç, 99–118. Ankara: De Ki Basim Yayim. [The Structure of Transnational Turkish Film Festivals in Germany and the United States of America during the Covid-19 Pandemic].
Bakker, Norbert. 2015. “Utopian Film Festivals: Space, Content and Business Matters in Early Online Film Festivals.” Synoptique 3 (2): 9–28. https://synoptiqueblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/2-norbert-bakker-utopian-film-festivals-space-content-and-business-matters-in-early-online-film-festivals.pdf. Accessed May 31, 2020.
Baumgarten, Oliver, and Svenja Böttger. 2022. “Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis: Virale Filmfestivals. Zwei Pandemiebedingte Metamorphosen Eines Filmfestivals.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 174–93. München: edition text + kritik.
Bosma, Peter. 2015. “The Network of Intermediaries.” In Film Programming: Curating for Cinemas, Festivals, Archives, 33–50. Short cuts 59. New York: Wallflower.
Brose, Sebastian, and Joachim Kurz. 2022. “Achtung Berlin Filmfestival: ‘Wenn Du Zuhörst, Lernst Du Was Neues, Wenn Du Sprichst, Wiederholst Du Nur, Was Du Schon Weißt.’.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 260–71. München: edition text + kritik.
Burgess, Diane, and Kirsten Stevens. 2023. “Locating Buzz and Liveness: The Role of Geoblocking and Co-Presence in Virtual Film Festivals.” In Rethinking Film Festivals in the Pandemic Era and After, edited by Marijke de Valck and Antoine Damiens, 59–80. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Castle, Scott. 2000. “What’s in a Name? Does the Term ‘Online Film Festival’ Mean Anything at All?” Independent 23 (6): 18–20.
Corrêa, Paulo Vitor Luz. 2017. “Festivais De Cinema E a Internet: Uma Breve Análise Por Meio Dos Formatos De Submissão De Filmes.” Unpublished manuscript, last modified November 20, 2022. https://issuu.com/pauloluzcorrea/docs/estudo_festivais_brasileiros_submis. [Film Festivals and the Internet: A Brief Analysis Through Film Submission Formats].
de Valck, Marijke. 2008. “’Screening’ the Future of Film Festivals? A Long Tale of Convergence and Digitization.” Film International 6 (4): 15–23.
Erkin, Onur. 2022. “Salgın Döneminde Film Festivallerinin Dönüşümü Ve Paravan Film Festivalleri.” In Film Festivalleri E-Kitabi 1: 10-11 Kasim 2021, Ankara, edited by Hakan Erkılıç, 149–69. Ankara: De Ki Basim Yayim. [The Transformation of Film Festivals during the Pandemic and Mock Film Festivals].
Gass, Lars Henrik, and Tanja C. Krainhöfer. 2022. “Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen: ‘Unsere Vision Von Den Kurzfilmtagen Ist Etwas, Das Wir Noch Nicht Kennen’.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 284–97. München: edition text + kritik.
Hanzlík, Jan, and Ewa Mazierska. 2022. “Eastern European Film Festivals: Streaming Through the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Studies in Eastern European Cinema 13 (1): 38-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/2040350X.2021.1964218.
Helwig, Matthias, and Joachim Kurz. 2022. “Fünf Seen Filmfestival: ‘Es Ist Definitiv Einfacher, Ein Filmfestival Im Urbanen Raum Zu Etablieren’.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 120–31. München: edition text + kritik.
Hernandez, Eugene. 1999. “The Point of No Return: On-Line Film Festivals, Showcases & Distributors.” Independent 22 (9): 26–28. http://www.aivf.org/node/439. Accessed May 24, 2011.
Homrighausen, Hanne, Joachim Post, and Jan Künemund. 2022. “Hamburg International Queer Film Festival: ‘Tanzen Und Weiterdiskutieren!’.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 94–101. München: edition text + kritik.
Jones, Nicola, and Barbara Felsmann. 2022. “Deutsches Kinder Medien Festival Goldener Spatz: Digitaler Wandel Braucht Nachhaltige Strukturen.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 132–51. München: edition text + kritik.
Jurado Martín, Montserrat. 2020. “Aproximación a los certámenes cinematográficos de realidad virtual, aumentada e inmersiva en América Latina.” In “Festivales De Cine En América Latina: Historias Y Nuevas Perspectivas.”: Historias Y Nuevas Perspectivas, edited by Maria P. Peirano and Aida Vallejo. Special issue, Comunicación y Medios 29. (42): 132–43. [Latin American Film Festivals of Virtual, Augmented, and Immersive Reality: An Overview]. Accessed January 09, 2022. https://revistaestudiosarabes.uchile.cl/index.php/RCM/article/view/56993/68485.
Jurado Martín, Montserrat. 2020. “Festivales De Cine Especializados En Realidad Virtual En España.” [Festivals Specialized in Virtual Reality in Spain]. Sphera Publica. Revista de Ciencias Sociales y de la Comunicación 1 (20): 59–77. http://sphera.ucam.edu/index.php/sphera-01/article/view/381. Accessed May 29, 2021.
Jurado Martín, Montserrat. 2020. “Latin American Film Festivals of Virtual, Augmented, and Immersive Reality: An Overview.” In “Festivales De Cine En América Latina: Historias Y Nuevas Perspectivas.”: Historias Y Nuevas Perspectivas, edited by Maria P. Peirano and Aida Vallejo. Special issue, Comunicación y Medios 29. (42): 132–43. Accessed January 09, 2022. https://revistaestudiosarabes.uchile.cl/index.php/RCM/article/view/56993/68485.
Keilholz, Sascha, and Frédéric Jaeger. 2022. “Internationales FilmfestivalMannheim-Heidelberg (IFFMH): Festivals Als Organismus — Physische Dynamiken, Digitale Reize.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 152–73. München: edition text + kritik.
Klimek, Caroline. 2018. “From Programmer to Curator: How Film Festivals Are Pushing the Boundaries of New Media and Expanded Cinema.” CJFS 27 (1): 73–87. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjfs.27.1.2017-0016.
Krainhöfer, Tanja, and Joachim Kurz, eds. 2022. Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven. München: edition text + kritik.
Krainhöfer, Tanja C., and Joachim Kurz. 2022. “Eine Vorläufige Bilanz.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 362–77. München: edition text + kritik.
Krainhöfer, Tanja C., and Joachim Kurz. 2022. “Einleitung: Bewegungen Auf Dem Markt Der Bewegtbilder.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 20–36. München: edition text + kritik.
Krainhöfer, Tanja C., and Joachim Kurz. 2022. “Fortschritt Statt Stillstand: Filmfestivals Als Innovationstreiber.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 60–79. München: edition text + kritik.
Kufahl, Volker. 2022. “Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Jahr 2022 … Die Überleben Wollen.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 102–19. München: edition text + kritik.
Kurtzke, Simone. 2007. “Webfilm Theory.” PhD Thesis, School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication, Queen Margaret University. Accessed May 24, 2011. http://etheses.qmu.ac.uk/79/1/SimoneKurtzke.pdf.
Kurz, Joachim. 2022. “Biennale Bavaria International —Festival Des Neuen Heimatfilms: Heimat! Film! Festival! Über Die Entstehung Eines Festivals Des Neuen Heimatfilms.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 242–59. München: edition text + kritik.
Massarolo, João, Dario Mesquita, André Fischer, and Claudia Erthal. 2021. “Plataformização Dos Festivais De Cinema E Audiovisual: A Experiência Do MixBrasil.” In “Festivais E Mostras Audiovisuais: Olhares E Perspectivas.”: Olhares E Perspectivas, edited by Izabel Cruz Melo, Juliana Muylaert, and Tetê Mattos. Special issue, Rebeca – Revista Brasileira de Estudos de Cinema e Audiovisual 10. (2): 219–43. [Platformization of Film and Audiovisual Festivals: The MixBrasil Experience].
Nedyalkova, Maya. 2016. “Festivals Gone Digital: A Case-Study of Netcinema.Bg and the Online European Film Festival in Bulgaria.” In Transformation Process in Post-Socialist Screen Media, edited by Jana Dudková and Katarína Mišíková, 138–52. Bratislava.
Niederer, Sabine. 2008. “The Future of Festivals: Interview with Arjon Dunnewind.” In Video Vortex Reader: Responses to YouTube, edited by Geert Lovink and Sabine Niederer, 203–6. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures.
Odorico, Stefano. 2020. “Beyond the Screen: Interactive Documentary Exhibition in the Festival Sphere.” In Documentary Film Festivals Vol. 2: Changes, Challenges, Professional Perspectives, edited by Aida Vallejo and Ezra Winton, 93–111. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Patmore, Chris. 2011. “IPhone Film Festivals.” Film & Festival (27): 16–17.
Richter, Martina, Johannes Hensen, and Tanja C. Krainhöfer. 2022. “Film Festival Cologne: ‘Die Menschen Wünschen Sich Bei Der Zunehmenden Inhalte-Flut Orientierungshilfe’.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 230–41. München: edition text + kritik.
Schubert, Gregor Maria, Johanna Süß, Kenneth Hujer, and Pauline Klink. 2022. “LICHTER Filmfest Frankfurt International: Zukunft Deutscher Film.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 340–61. München: edition text + kritik.
Seeßlen, Georg. 2022. “Vorwort: Transformationen Der Filmkultur – Und Was Festivals Damit Zu Tun Haben.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 8–19. München: edition text + kritik.
Simons, Jan. 2011. “Between IPhone and YouTube: Movies on the Move?” In Moving Images Beyond YouTube, edited by Geert Lovink and Rachel Somers Miles, 95–107. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures.
Slováková, Andrea. 2020. “Connecting Festivals, Distributing Films: An Interview with Diana Tabakov, Acquisitions Manager at Doc Alliance Films VOD Platform.” In Documentary Film Festivals Vol. 2: Changes, Challenges, Professional Perspectives, edited by Aida Vallejo and Ezra Winton, 201–10. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Smits, Roderik. 2023. “Disruption in Times of COVID-19? The Hybrid Film Festival Format.” Cultural Trends, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2023.2193872.
Sponsel, Daniel. 2022. “DOK.Fest München (InternationalesDokumentarfilmfestival München): Im Kino. Zuhause. Duale Filmfestivals Als Avantgarde: Paradigmenwechsel Oder Strukturwandel?” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 272–83. München: edition text + kritik.
Stevens, Kirsten. 2018. “’You Had to Be There’: Film Festival ‘Liveness’ and the Digitally Connected Audience.” In International Film Festivals: Contemporary Cultures and History Beyond Venice and Cannes, edited by Tricia Jenkins, 11–31. London, New York: I.B.Tauris.
Strauven, Wanda. 2020. “Let´s Go to Oberhausen! Some Notes on an Online Film Festival Experience.” In Pandemic Media: Preliminary Notes Toward an Inventory, edited by Philipp D. Keidl, Laliv Melamed, Vinzenz Hediger, and Antonio Somaini, 287–91. Configurations of Film 3. Lüneburg: meson press.
Taillibert, Christel. 2014. “Festivales y patrimonio cinematográfico en la era digital: La situación francesa.” In “Festivales Cinematográficos [Film Festivals].” edited by Aida Vallejo. Special issue, Secuencias: Revista de Historia del Cine. (39): 83–99. [Festivals and film heritage in the digital age: The French situation.].
Taillibert, Christel. 2014. “Phénomènes De Circulations En Festival: L’influence Des Nouvelles Technologies.” [Phenomena of circulation in film festivals: The influence of new technologies.]. miranda, no. 10. https://doi.org/10.4000/miranda.6330.
Taillibert, Christel. 2015. “Les Nouveaux Festivaliers Online: Une Étude Quantitative Du Public De My French Film Festival.” In Les Nouvelles Pratiques Cinéphiles, edited by Jean-Paul Aubert and Christel Tallibert, 123–82. Champs visuels 12/13. Paris: L’Harmattan. [The new festival attendees online. A quantitative study of the audience of My French Film Festival].
Taillibert, Christel. 2018. “New Perspectives for Online Film Festivals.” In International Film Festivals: Contemporary Cultures and History Beyond Venice and Cannes, edited by Tricia Jenkins, 32–48. London, New York: I.B.Tauris.
Terhechte, Christoph, Angela Seidel, Katharina Franck, Tanja C. Krainhöfer, and Joachim Kurz. 2022. “DOK Leipzig Und Cinémathèque Leipzig: Ein Filmkunsthaus Für Leipzig Und Das Verhältnis Von Kinos Und Festivals.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 320–39. München: edition text + kritik.
Utamachote, Sarnt, Rosalia Namsai Engchuan, Malve Lippmann, and Can Sungu. 2022. “Un.Thai.Tled Filmfestival Und SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA: Transnationale Verflechtungen Jenseits Von Eurozentrischer Dominanz Und Nationalstaatlichen Konzepten.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 298–319. München: edition text + kritik.
Uygun, Zeynep Merve, and Metin Çavuş. 2022. “Türkiye’de Covid-19 Sonrası Film Festivalleri.” In Film Festivalleri E-Kitabi 1: 10-11 Kasim 2021, Ankara, edited by Hakan Erkılıç, 171–95. Ankara: De Ki Basim Yayim. [Post-Covid-19 Film Festivals in Turkey].
Vallejo, Aida, and Christel Taillibert. 2023. “Finding Allies in Pandemic Times: Documentary Film Festivals and Streaming Platforms.” In Rethinking Film Festivals in the Pandemic Era and After, edited by Marijke de Valck and Antoine Damiens, 101–27. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Van de Peer, Stefanie. 2014. “Damascus and Beirut, or Why Arab Film Festivals Go on and Offline.” In Film Festival Yearbook 6: Film Festivals and the Middle East, edited by Dina Iordanova and Stefanie Van de Peer, 197–212. St Andrews: St Andrews Film Studies.
Wegenast, Ulrich. 2022. “Internationales Trickfilm-FestivalStuttgart (ITFS): Die Transformation Des ITFS Vom Schlossplatz in Den VR Hub.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 210–29. München: edition text + kritik.
Wiederspiel, Albert, Kathrin Kohlstedde, and Tanja C. Krainhöfer. 2022. “Filmfest Hamburg: ‘Filmfestivals Mit Einer Klassischen Kinoauswertung Gleichzusetzen, so Weit Scheint Die Politik Leider Noch Nicht Zu Sein’.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 194–209. München: edition text + kritik.
Wilson, Gavin. 2014. “Cell/ular Cinema: Individuated Production, Public Sharing and Mobile Phone Film Exhibition.” PhD Thesis, University of Leeds. Accessed August 31, 2015. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/8475/.
Wink, Andrea. 2022. “exground filmfest: Solidarität statt Konkurrenz. Die neue Kultur des Miteinander von Filmfestivals.” In Filmfestivals: Krisen, Chancen, Perspektiven, edited by Tanja Krainhöfer and Joachim Kurz, 80–93. München: edition text + kritik.
Wolf, Reinhard W. 2016. “5 Jahre Festival Scope: Festivalfilme Online Vermarkten.” [5 Years Festival Scope: Marketing Festival Films Online]. shortfilm.de, October 23, 2016. http://www.shortfilm.de/5-jahre-festival-scope-festivalfilme-online-vermarkten/.
(Last updated: 30. April 2024)