“I think this is going to become much more normal.” Hannah Woodhead reports on the current state of film festivals, which remain confined to the virtual space due to COVID-19. Also worth reading: reviews and articles on the Real Housewives, the ancient art of truffle hunting, Black Westerns, and more. Enjoy!

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced film festivals to go virtual. Hannah Woodhead talked to representatives at TIFF, NYFF, and Sundance to learn about how they pulled it off, and the impacts of this shift.

Meanwhile, Kyle Turner explores performance through the lens of the various Real Housewives iterations, demonstrating the growing self-awareness of reality television.

Criterion Channel has a terrific new curated program about Black Westerns. I rounded up some films from it to watch.

This week, Film at Lincoln Center is finishing up its annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. Don’t miss the latest movies from France!

Solange Knowles’s visual album When I Get Home is now available to stream on Criterion Channel. Check out Lucas Fagen’s review of the original album.

Have you ever wondered how many LEGO gears you could successfully chain together, all run by a single motor? No, you haven’t? Well … too bad, because I’m the one in charge of this newsletter, and I love LEGO stuff. So take a look at this video from the always-riveting Brick Experiment Channel.

Until theaters are safe again, be well!