All major festivals around the world take a strong stand against piracy so when one of the films that the festival approved to be streamed on its official streaming platform was found getting pirated, the Sundance decided to take a strict action. 

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The film in question is James Sweeney’s Twinless. The film has now been removed from the festival’s online streaming platform as portions of the film landed on social media platforms. 

Two films removed from Sundance streamer in the wake of piracy

This happened hours after Isabel Castro’s documentary about late superstar Selena Quintanilla, Selena y Los Dinos, was pulled dwon over similar piracy concerns. That film also became a fest favorite after picking up a trophy for US documentary special jury award for archival storytelling.

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On removing the film Twinless from the platform, the festival in an official statement said, “The film Twinless was a victim of some copyright infringement on various social media platforms, therefore the festival in partnership with the filmmakers have made the decision to remove the film from the Sundance Film Festival online platform. We regret that online ticket holders will no longer be able to access the film.”

They confirmed that any single ticket holders who had purchased the film would receive a voucher for another selection. The statement added, “We acknowledge and regret the disappointment this may cause. However, part of our commitment to advocating for independent filmmakers is ensuring that they can protect the art that they have created — now and in the future. We take copyright infringement extremely seriously and intend to fully cooperate with local, state, and federal law enforcement on all piracy-related issues.”

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Meanwhile, the streaming platform will have “all remaining films” for the rest of the weekend. 

First piracy attack in the history of Sundance film screening digitally

This is the first time in the festival’s four years of screening films online that pirated copies and clips have ended up online. The streamer came into place after Sundance decided in the COVID-19 pandemic to offer an online platform, which has been well received by filmmakers and audiences as a way to expand accessibility for the festival. 

The online portion of the film festival is open through February 2.