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‘The Climb’ Screening and Q&A Will Be Broadcast to Theaters Nationwide from Sundance

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Can’t make it to Sundance? In a first-of-its-kind program, the festival is coming to you: In a collaboration with Trafalgar Releasing and Sony Pictures Classics, the Sundance premiere of “The Climb” and the post-screening Q&A will be simulcast to 10 theaters across the country on January 26. The film is about two best friends whose close bond is threatened after one sleeps with the other’s fiancee.

“The Climb” is a feature-length expansion of Michael Angelo Covino’s short film of the same name, which premieired at Sundance in 2018. The feature, written by Covino and Kyle Marvin, won the Coup de Coeur Prize after its premiere in the Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section last year and later screened at Telluride and Toronto.

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The theatrical simulcast will come from Trafalgar Releasing, the London-based company known for bringing events such as Coldplay, Khalid, and Depeche Mode concerts, opera performances, and plays into cinemas.

In the US, Fathom Events is perhaps the most recognizable name in that arena. That company is known for its theatrical distribution of Metropolitan Opera Live in HD. It recently re-released “The Shawshank Redemption” in a three-day run in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Trafalgar is establishing its international offices and focusing on expansion into the US, according to its website. Its stateside offices include ones in New York, Los Angeles, and Denver — close to Fathom’s headquarters. “The Climb” simulcast should serve as a high-profile introduction of the company to audiences and industry leaders alike.

“This pilot program is one of many ways Sundance Institute is exploring new ideas to showcase bold, independent work beyond the traditional bounds of our Festival,” said Keri Putnam, the Institute’s executive director. “Collaborations like this the underline Sundance’s mission of supporting independent artists and introducing audiences to new work as technology and culture evolve.”

Here is a list of participating theaters:

  • Bow Tie Cinemas Harbour 9 (Annapolis, Maryland)

  • Cedar Lee Theatre (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)

  • Cinema Arts Theatre (Fairfax, Virginia)

  • Harkins Theatres Tempe Marketplace 16 (Tempe, Arizona)

  • Landmark’s Kendall Square Cinema (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

  • Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema (Indianapolis, Indiana)

  • Landmark’s Lagoon Cinema (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

  • Landmark’s Ritz Five (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

  • Prado Stadium 12 (Bonita Springs, Florida)

  • Sun-Ray Cinema (Jacksonville, Florida)

Tickets are on sale here. Sony Pictures Classics will release The Climb in Los Angeles and New York on March 20, 2020, followed by a national rollout.

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