[Festivals Stories] Compilation: Reaching a larger and more diverse audience
If we can take something positive from the pandemic as well as from moving to an online format it is definitely the possibility of connecting with a bigger audience.
We present here the story of festivals that widened their audience scope in the 2020 and 2021 edition.
Ecos Festival - Festival Internacional de Música Antigua de Sierra Espuña
Mancomunidad de Sierra Espuña, Murcia, Spain
07/2021-09/2021
Our biggest pride inpandemic times has been becoming able to connect with a bigger audience through social media, and developing a new concept of communication, making concerts a fresh and interactive experience: especially interesting for younger audiences.
More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9LRpNHB2RM
Festival Interplay
Turin, Italy
05/2021-06/2021
In 2020 Interplay Festival was one of the first live performance organisations to face closure due to the Pandemic. It reacted by reprogramming all the shows online. In 2021 the Festival succeeded in respecting the agenda, as originally planned, hosting companies even from Israel and from Russia, organising their travel, facing all the difficulties of a country in conflict and one with strong social and political tensions. Due to all the efforts, Interplay managed to offer his audience a valid cultural proposal, original and unique. The rich offer has also been reachable by a even wider public that had the chance to watch the performances via online live streaming, in real time with the performance on stage. Interplay welcomed a trusted audience alongside a new one, spreading the international dance company and building new relationships. This experience has enriched the festival with experience and perspective, underlining the importance of culture, capable of destroying any barrier. The Festival's intention is to keep growing and find new ways to involve different audiences and to perform in different locations, focusing on the public well-being, encouraging the message that culture can improve society and create a safe space for all;to have a dialogue, to create and build.
More information: http://www.mosaicodanza.it/interplay-2021/video-2021/
Five Churches Festival
Győr, Hungary
13/05/2021-17/05/2021
In 2020, we were the first festival in Hungary that organised a fully online festival, at the originally planned time and with the original performers. Concerts and ceremonies were recorded six days in advance at the original venues, in the churches, and were broadcast on the online channels of the festival according to the festival's original schedule. Thus, we not only gave work to the performing artists and the technical staff, but an experience and special moments to those who were left without live programmes and community experience during the strictest closure. Our festival in 2020 spoke from soul to soul, reaching a total of nearly 700.000 views on our own and our partners 'pages. In 2021, we were the first in Hungary, but perhaps also in whole of Europe, to organise our festival live in front of an audience in mid-May. The programme was a live repeat from the online festival from 2020, it was greeted everywhere with a full house and a great success. For all of us, the performers, the organisers, and the members of the audience, this was the first time we could met in person for nearly half a year. Both of our last festivals, the online one in 2020 and the live one in 2021 gave our audience a one-time adventure and they gave the crew new and unique experiences.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/122118954471218/videos/676724343160826;
THE BLANK | ARTDATE
Bergamo, Italy
12/11/2020-15/11/2020
Since our Festival ArtDate was scheduled for November 2020, because of the health emergency we had to convert all the programme to an online edition, deleting exhibitions and performances.
It was complicated because ArtDate is designed and intended to be experienced and lived through interaction. Despite that, the online edition was a success, with a great response from the audience that followed carefully our online events.
All the online events were subtitled in LIS - Italian Sign Language.
More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nlr57feSHA&t=897s
MEDFILM FESTIVAL
Roma, Italy
05/11/2021-14/11/2021
The cinemas in Rome closed a week before the start of the 26th edition of the MedFilm festival. Luckily we had a plan B: transfer ALL, but ALL of the programme for streaming. We succeeded. It was difficult, everything different, no contact, no applause, no warmth, but we held on and the audience followed us, this time from all over Italy and beyond. What seemed like a limitation proved to be a great opportunity to reach so many new audiences in all corners of the country, but also from abroad.
The festival programme is always very attentive to young emerging authors, in addition, in 2020 a new project was born: the MEDFILM WIPS, a workshop dedicated to 1st and 2nd works with an important cash prize of 8000 euros and 2 technical prizes of 3000 euros each.
The festival, like our lives, will forever be different. In fact, from no on we will adopt the hybrid form, live and online, projecting the emotions of the live and the crucial themes of the MedFilm festival, the only international event dedicated to Mediterranean cinema.
More information: https://www.medfilmfestival.org/it/
