If you couldn't make it out to Park City for Sundance this year, but still want to stay up to date with the happenings of the festival, there's some good news from you. Sure, you'll miss out on the premieres and the atmosphere in town, but you can still be part of the action online because the Sundance Institute does a terrific job of trying to connect everyone to the fest. Here are three ways to participate right from your own home.

Tune into the live streams

Your most valuable asset in following along are the live streams available at sundance.org. Grab a front row seat via your computer to press conferences, award ceremonies, and filmmaking panels.

• Day One Press Conference (Thursday, January 18, 1 p.m. MT): Kick-off the Festival with Robert Redford, Keri Putnam, and John Cooper.

• Cinema Cafe: Tune in every day at 11 or 11:30 a.m. MT for your daily dose of informal conversations with filmmakers and artists. Some of the faces you'll see this year include Ethan Hawke, Kevin Smith, Ira Glass, Miranda July, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Gus Van Sant, and more. See the Cinema Cafe line-up here.

• TimesTalks: Fresh Faces (Sunday, January 21, 2:15 p.m. MT): Live from the Filmmaker's Lodge, Fresh Faces is all about showing off some of the Festival's young, new talent already making waves with their work. Learn more from the next generation of actors about how they're bringing complex, rich characters to life on the screen. Click here for event information.

• Shorts Awards (Tuesday, January 23, 7:00 p.m. MT): Which shorts took the top prize.

• The Future of Indie TV (Wednesday, January 24, 2:00 p.m. MT): The industry is seeing some major changes coming in with the expansion of serialized content and the shift towards steaming services. Join Stephanie Allain (Leimert Park), Steven Soderbergh (THE KING), Bernie Su (chief creative officer, Canvas Media Studios), David Wain (A Futile and Stupid Gesture), and moderator Michelle Satter (Sundance Institute founding director, Feature Film Program) to hear how independent voices can make themselves heard in an increasingly competitive industry. For more info click here.

• Power of Story: Indies Go Hollywood (Friday, January 26, 11:30 a.m. MT): Many of Hollywood's major films, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Thor: Ragnarok, Twilight, Fast & Furious, A Wrinkle in Time, and Pete’s Dragon were all helmed by director's who got their start at Sundance. So how to these artist go from show-string budgets to the big time? Tune into this panel to hear from a group of filmmakers who live in both the indie and studio world, including  Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight), Justin Lin(Better Luck Tomorrow, Star Trek: Beyond), and Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark, Thor: Ragnarok), as they discuss what motivates them to work at this new level and how they view both the advantages and myriad challenges with KPCC’s The Frame John Horn.

• Awards Ceremony (Saturday, January 27, 7:00 p.m. MT): Find out which films will take the honors at this year's festival. 

Watch a selection of short films on line

Once upon a time, if you didn't catch the shorts program at the festival, you were out of luck. Thanks to the magic of the internet and more options for filmmakers, you're already able to view a number of shorts online. Here are just a few you can already watch: Glucose, A Night at the Garden, The Violence of a Civilization without Secrets, and LaZercism.

During the festival, check in with the New York Times Op-Docs for more short film premieres. We also suggest furiously googling any shorts you're interested in during the coming months as filmmakers are likely to make them available for viewing online. 

Follow the day to day of the festival via social media 

Finally, you can stalk all the day to day of the festival by following #Sundance on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see what people on the ground are up to. The Sundance Institute is, of course, always a great resource and you can follow their channels below:

Twitter

• @SundanceFest – The official handle of the Sundance Film Festival. Follow for exclusive content, live updates, talent takeovers, and more.
• @SundanceFestNow – 24/7 breaking news and updates for Festival attendees. Follow for screening and event info, traffic and weather updates, and more.
• @SundanceOrg – Year-round news and information about Sundance Institute’s wide array of Artist Programs and Labs.

Facebook & Instagram

Login onto www.facebook.com/sundance for live streams and exclusive content and follow @SundanceOrg on Instagram for a the festival's photo journal of daily events. 

Youtube Channel 

The Sundance Film Festival YouTube Channel is the basecamp for all of the organization's live streams. Here you can peruse Meet the Artist videos, learn about labs, and check out other exclusive filmmaker and artist interviews.

Happy film fest!