New York hosts Alza, its first microdrama film festival
Alza, held in New York from October 16th to 18th, was the city's first festival devoted to microdramas made for vertical screens. It is still unclear whether viewers want to watch vertical content on horizontal TV screens.
New York City held its first microdrama film festival, Alza, from October 16th to 18th. Microdramas are stories made for the vertical screen. The event was billed as a showcase for the creativity, innovation and growing cultural impact of that kind of storytelling.
The festival was founded by Pete Torres, who previously served as chief operating officer of the Tribeca Festival, a well-known New York film event.
Programme and guests
Alza's lineup included microdrama and film premieres, along with industry-focused panels featuring executives. According to the source, those executives all appeared to genuinely believe in the format.
The festival also hosted the world premiere of Reunion Island, a project from Microhouse Films and the television network Lifetime. Actors Taye Diggs, Autumn Federici, Gary Entin, Troy Brookins, Edmund Entin and Eric Guilmette attended.
An open question
Many filmmakers and creators said they were confident their latest projects would go over well at Alza. Still, it remains to be seen whether audiences really want to watch vertical content on horizontal TV screens. That question hung over the festival as its organisers and participants looked for their audience.
