Why I’m Pausing Festival Coverage Without Remote Press Access

Hey everyone!

In the past, I would have shared my plans for Tribeca by now, but I won't be doing that this year. I also won't be doing that for the New York Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance, Austin Film Festival, AFI Fest, SXSW, or any other festival that does not provide adequate opportunities for remote press members.

From the start, my ability to cover film festivals has relied on publicists requesting coverage, my successful application to cover festivals in exchange for my coverage, or personally funding my festival coverage. However, over the past few years, it's become clear that meaningful remote coverage of festivals is no longer feasible. This has been due to a lack of screeners provided by publicists or in the festival's press library, fewer virtual interviews, or publicists expressing confusion when I inform them that I won't be attending in person.

As a result, I have made the difficult decision to pause coverage for festivals that do not provide adequate remote press access. This choice is not easy, as 20% of the top 20 most-visited website posts are festival coverage. That percentage increases exponentially if I count the interviews I posted on YouTube and podcast services.

So, why am I making this decision before Tribeca, a festival I've covered since 2021? Frankly, I do not believe covering the festival would be anything more than a headache. In all the pre-festival emails I've received, only a handful mentioned opportunities for virtual interviews or the availability of virtual screener links. If I were even to cover Tribeca next month, I would be doing so without assurance that I could cover even a dozen selections, even if I had a press pass. Therefore, why would I forfeit the chance to cover releases that I can actually review, such as Stick season 1, Ballerina, Predator: Killer of Killers, Dangerous Animals, Echo Valley, The Bear season four, and so much more? The answer is rhetorical, but you get my point.

Before you ask why I can't simply pay my way, assuming I didn't secure an in-person press pass, most all-access festival pass prices are hundreds or thousands of dollars before taxes. That's before flight costs, accommodations, or any other expenses during the festival. I plan on asking you to help me pay my way, but for Tribeca 2025, that ship has sailed. So, while that's still an option, the next opportunity I have to do this will be for fall film festivals like the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, AFI Fest, Austin Film Festival, DOC NYC, New York Film Festival, Telluride, Fantastic Fest, among others.

This isn't solely my experience - many independent journalists and critics are facing the same barriers as remote and hybrid press access shrinks across the industry. For example, the 2025 Overlook Film Festival offered very limited remote coverage this year, and even prominent festivals like Tribeca and Sundance have returned to prioritizing in-person press, with only a handful of online credentials available and no guarantee of virtual screeners or interviews.

Some exceptions exist, such as Slamdance, which continues to offer virtual passes and screenings, and hybrid events like the New Jersey Film Festival and Brooklyn Film Festival, which provide online access to their festival selections. However, these cases are increasingly rare, and even when virtual access is available, it is often limited in scope or capacity.

As optimistic as I am about the possibility of crowdfunding my festival coverage, I fear it would be a band-aid over the wound that is the ever-shrinking ability of the press to cover festivals meaningfully. Each year, even in-person opportunities for interviews with cast or crew are increasingly limited to indie film festivals like Slamdance. I hope I am wrong about this, but each passing year reinforces my concerns. Press screenings at festivals have dwindled, mainly to promote lucrative studio deals. Most press cannot conduct meaningful interviews with cast or crew, even at Cannes. Instead, they can attend press conferences, where hundreds, if not thousands, of journalists compete to have their questions answered.

Now, I should address the reasons behind the reduced access for remote press during festivals. The obvious culprit is the pandemic. It was always clear that remote festival coverage would be the first area to tighten up once movie theaters reopened. The fact that it has taken me nearly four years to feel this pressure is a surprise. After 2021, I expected most festivals to phase out remote opportunities, but surprisingly, they haven't. Instead, they have restricted what remote press can cover, making attending in person increasingly more advantageous by providing more screenings, parties, and interviews. To be clear, I do not blame anyone for this trend.

I do fault these festivals for applying the same restrictions to in-person press members. If they've paid for the flight to your festival, I would expect them to have access to a full schedule of pre-festival press screenings, numerous parties, networking opportunities, interview booths, co-working spaces, and all the essentials press members need to get their jobs done during a festival. That's not an unreasonable expectation.

So, what about remote press members? The solution is simple: provide a list of screeners that will be available for the festival at least a month before its start, share a list of press contacts so I don't have to go searching for them, offer full-length (15 minutes or more) interviews via Zoom, and maintain constant communication with both press members and publicists to ensure that everyone's needs are being met.

What does this mean for you? In the short term, you'll see fewer festival reviews and interviews, but I'll focus more on films, series, and events I can fully cover so you still get honest, in-depth coverage of the stories that matter.

If you know of any festivals with strong remote press opportunities, have thoughts on this shift, or want to know more about my crowdfunding plans, I'd love to hear from you in the comments, in my Community Chats here on Patreon, or on social media. If there's enough interest or a festival offers meaningful remote access, I'll consider launching a crowdfunding campaign to cover it.

I'm hopeful that more festivals will recognize the value of remote coverage and make it easier for all voices to participate. Until then, I'll keep bringing you the best coverage I can, wherever I'm able to watch.