Sundance Adds Festivals in Hong Kong, London

Festival will take its programming internationally to Hong Kong in 2015 and England in 2016

Sundance Institute

The Sundance Institute will stage international film festivals this year in Hong Kong and next year in London, Robert Redford and Sundance organizers announced on Thursday.

The Hong Kong event, which is being held for the second year, will take place on consecutive weekends, Sept. 17-20 and 24-27 at the Metroplex, a new multiplex cinema inHong Kong’s Kowloon Bay.

Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong will screen 10 independent films, which will largely be drawn from the selections at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The titles themselves have yet to be announced.

Sundance Film Festival: London will mark the fourth time that Sundance has held a festival in the British capital, following events in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Exact dates have not been announced, but the festival will take place at the new Picturehouse Central, a seven-screen multiplex on Shaftesbury Avenue.

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Although no festival will be held in London this year, Sundance did announce plans to host private screenings and events for London’s independent film community at Picturehouse Central in June.

“There are too few opportunities for independent artists to connect with international audiences, despite the increasing importance of this in building sustainable careers,” said Sundance Institute’s executive director Keri Putnam in a press release announcing the festivals. “Our events in Hong Kong and London are steps toward bridging this gap and show the openness of international audiences to exploring these films and issues.”

Added Sundance founder Redford, “We’ve nurtured filmmakers around the globe for many years now and these experiences have brought a rich perspective to all we do. Exploring international opportunities for the diverse landscape of American independent storytelling is an exciting proposition, and something to which we are equally committed.”

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The Hong Kong and London festivals are in addition to Sundance’s flagship festival in Park City, and its annual NEXT Fest in Los Angeles.

Additional information on the international festivals is available at hk.sundance.org for Hong Kong and sundance.org/London for London.

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