COVID Confessional Docuseries gets another festival premiere
Reminded what it meant to be a New Yorker
In April 2020, I watched on the sidelines as the COVID death toll surpassed the only other relatable death toll that had ever befallen New York City — 9/11. I was completely powerless, or was I?
A week later I organized a group of essential workers — a subway conductor, sanitation worker, medical workers and a building concierge to create self-recorded confessionals over five days sharing their highs and lows of everyday life. When The Shifts Change got its name from the 7pm clap for heroes and the series of five half hour episodes premiered at The Global Health Film Festival and had a festival run onto five other festivals from 2020–2021. It had a great run, but it was about to get even better with 7 festivals.
We’re going to Miami
Miami Web Fest is a film festival specializing in web series, which premiered in 2014. The event offers both in-person local events and online experiences. It features celebrity guests, networking events, panels, seminars, screenings and awards in 26 categories.
Miami Web Fest was founded in 2014 by Award-winning filmmaker and US Army Veteran Bryan G Thompson. The festival was founded in response to a growing market trend in which filmmakers began creating their own episodic content (often in lieu of short films). By exploiting the interactivity of platforms like Youtube and Vimeo, filmmakers began to cultivate their own followings, often getting them discovered by major networks. This phenomenon is evident with the success of programs on major networks that began as independent web series, including Gringolandia, High Maintenance, Broad City and Insecure.
Miami Web Fest is the first web series festival in the State of Florida. The event has featured speakers and panelists from many prominent companies like HBO, Viacom, and Paramount, as well as domestic and international celebrities such as Oscar D’Leon, Sharon Gless, Karlee Perez, Keith David, and more. The festival makes awards in 26 categories for web series from all over the world.
What makes this film festival unique
In response to the global pandemic, the festival has declared two direct public-service missions. The first is to support gig-based film professionals by donating money to those most impacted. The second is to support at-risk youth, by providing exposure to film-related educational opportunities to be a catalyst for aspiring filmmakers.
Watch it in person
The culminating event of Miami Web Fest 2021 will take place on Saturday, June 12th at 6pm in the Atlantis Ballroom at the Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort located at 16701 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.
When The Shifts Change is also available for streaming here.
