Been thinking about Scorsese and curation. And why on earth @truefalse would roll out an at-home fest in 2021 with only 7 features and 15 or so shorts… 1/x

Built into the DNA of @Truefalse is a mission to be an experimental film fest. Not just to show experimental film (though we do that too) but to actually play with the form of what a festival can be. That’s the conceptual underpinning of TELEPORTED T/F 2/x https://truefalse.org/teleported-fest/

I doubt many of us would embrace a world in which in-person fests are replaced by virtual experiences. And, while there are bright spots ( @Sundancefest was able to leverage a LOT of resources to good effect), reports from other attempts don’t paint as rosy a picture 3/x

It’s all fine to brag about “reach” and “engagement”, but the data coming out of online fests is bleak. Many viewers watch less than five minutes of a film. Stops and starts are the norm, not the exception. 4/x

I think we all know instinctively that watching on a home device is a “lesser” experience than communal viewing in a theater. We are distracted consumers, prioritizing “easy content" over more thoughtful or challenging work. 5/x

It’s important to note that, for some, the theatrical experience will always be unattainable, and at-home cinema (not to mention theater, dance, etc.) has been an absolute boon. But even then, I think we whose jobs are to “put on a show” can do better at crossing that divide. 6/x

So, last summer, T/F went into R&D mode. We read essays about online communities (h/t @INCAmsterdam), party theory, and virtual space-making. We played escape rooms, took part in immersive theater productions, and considered how a virtual cinema could engage all our senses. 7/x

And we emerged, blinking, with the Teleported Fest—an at-home @truefalse that combines the boldest, most visionary new nonfiction cinema with a physical treasure chest of treats and an array of immersive virtual gatherings. Nothing quite like this has been attempted before. 8/x

Even now, 10 weeks out, we’re still dreaming up new experiences. But the structure is in place and every day I get excited about some new feature – whether it’s our custom-made boxes from @BennettPackagng or an at-home cinema scent from @makesscents 9/x

Of course, all that means nothing if we’re not using it to shine a light on the boldest, most form-exploding new nonfiction. We think a hyper-curated online program serves to focus that light. But you’ll just have to trust @AngelaJC @geoauteur and me on that for now. 10/x

So, I invite you (well, the first 300 of you) to take a chance on something new. I can’t say if it will happen again, but I am confident that the ideas we’re exploring this year will find their way into fest experiences for years to come. 11/x

And, if we really do it right, @truefalse will continue to be a beacon for thoughtful, immersive curation that gives great movies the best possible launch into the world. 12/12