Several questions remain in the wake of that announcement. Pass pricing vs. single ticket sales was an issue with the four-day event, with crowds mostly under sellout levels at the Grand Lake last year with a strong core of passholders. Of course, that pricing structure was almost certainly imposed by the theater, in order to guard against the possibility of a low turnout for casual/intermittent attendees. We will wait to see what the pricing structure is for the ten-day event.
And it is still an open question as to how many more folk from San Francisco will be compelled to travel across the Bay for ten days/nights as opposed to the more convenient scenario of attending the festival at the Castro Theatre, whose fate is still in limbo at this time.
There will also apparently be a Noir City Xmas in December, though the date was not set as part of the text announcing the NC 20 date/location.
---> This revelation now leads us directly into the "what will they show" speculation phase, which is alternately enthralling and tiresome for those who continue to frequent our humble abode. Let the guessing games begin! :-)