Bethany Lutheran College announced today that the eighth annual Speechless Film Festival will move to a completely online format. The move to an online festival is motivated by the Festival’s national draw with consideration to the potentially evolving coronavirus situation in the United States.
Speechless Film Festival Director Kurt Paulsen said, “Changing our venue now allows us to plan for a smooth online experience that will expand our reach beyond the local region and share this event with our many festival friends across the globe.”
The Speechless Film Festival team has been receiving films, moving them through the judging process, and preparing showcases since August 2019. The wonderful selection of entries that were set to play at the Festival will be available to view online over the duration of the festival March 27-28, 2020.
All in-person events that were previously scheduled to take place in Mankato, including the movie showings and awards ceremony, are cancelled for this year only.
“We will definitely miss our face-to-face community, but this is a more responsible use of our limited resources as a nonprofit arts event in a time of uncertainty. We fully plan to return to the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center next year for the ninth annual festival,” said Paulsen.
Festival attendees will be able to purchase an all-access online festival pass with the full festival program, showcase links, passwords, and a release schedule for just $5.
“We sincerely hope that you join us online for what is our best collection of films yet!” said Paulsen.