By Stephanie Ornelas
Digital Gym is ready to deliver a slice of Sundance Film Festival to San Diego.
Almost two years ago, when the California-based independent micro-cinema lost the lease to its location and was forced to close during the pandemic, Mois s Esparza (Exhibitions Manager) was concerned that the cinema wasn't given a proper send-off. Today, instead of a goodbye, they're ready to introduce their brand-new home to their community as a 2022 Sundance Film Festival Satellite Screen partner.
It all aligned itself really nicely, says Esparza via Zoom. We're making up for the closure of the previous location with this amazing grand opening and [we're] pairing it with the Satellite Screen experience.
As a single-screen cinema, Esparza noted how it took some time for Digital Gym to cultivate supporters. Caught between two other independent cinemas, he explains, It took a while for us to carve out our space in the film community here in San Diego. But it felt like we hit our stride in the last couple of years. With the pandemic, so much was paused, but we're ready to pick up where we left off with this new sense of momentum.
Uniquely part of two entities - Esparza also manages the San Diego Latino Film Festival - he provides an important perspective when it comes to the cinematic depth of the community.
The film festival community here is so strong. It really is the cinephile's dream, he says excitedly. From the San Diego Asian Film Festival, to the Jewish Film Festival, the G.I. Film Festival and San Diego Film Week, there are so many opportunities here to not just appreciate, but also discover film. We really advocate for independent films made from all over the world, so we're honored to be the in-person ambassadors for the Sundance Film Festival.
Being one of the only in-person aspects of the Festival is what really kept the Digital Gym team not just encouraged, but exhilarated.
The pandemic brings on so much stress, and it's kind of hard to see a path through all the noise, but producing this event has given our team so much to hang on to, Esparza says. It's giving us a bit of renewed purpose.
In terms of what's changed [since Sundance Institute's announcement of a primarily online festival], the cinema is limiting capacity and will be rethinking some of its reception-type events to promote social distancing and an overall safe environment. But they will still be hosting Q&As, something Esparza stresses is so important to the overall experience.
The real magic happens during that audience-filmmaker interaction after the film plays, he says. You can see it on peoples' faces. They just want to interact with special guests and talk about the film.
He continues, we project so much onto the screen while we're watching, but we almost, in a way, want the film to talk to us after it's over, and how we do that is by having these filmmakers, actors, producers, editors, and other special guests provide that context.
But more importantly, Esparza is excited to bring a small taste of the Sundance Film Festival to the energetic and fast-evolving community that is San Diego.
I want to create a Sundance experience that's really accessible. Bringing films to the community, setting up the red carpet, having Q&As with filmmakers - those are the things I'm really looking forward to.
The pandemic challenges have prompted Esparza to have conversations within his own community. And despite the 2022 Festival's pivot to online, many agree that the most crucial facet - the core reason we're all gathered here in the first place - will always be present.
This just allows us to [examine] the reason why we're coming together in the first place, which is to watch and support movies, he says. All of the supplemental events are amazing and create a vibe, and they're so valuable, but what are we really here for? To watch films communally. That important aspect of the film is still there.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
By Stephanie Ornelas 
