To the editor: Los Angeles and the Hollywood community on the whole will soon feel the effects of the decision of the Sundance Film Festival to move to Boulder, Colorado. In recent weeks, a certain number of scenarios have emerged, blaming themselves from policy to finance, but it is much more nuanced (“Of course, Sundance fled. Utah has become a hateful place», April 4).
As one of the original founding staff of the Sundance Film Festival, I know exactly where and how this story started. Sundance was born, not only as a film festival, but as a cultural force rooted in place. Robert Redford did not choose Utah because it was easy or obvious. He chose it because it was different. Because the power of Sundance has never only been on the films – it was the space it created for independent voices to emerge in a setting that challenged, inspired and transformed.
The real story is as follows: Sundance is faced with financial opposites, provoked by an independent changing film industry and income loss of the COVVI-19 pandemic. The new management team, instead of working with public and private partners of Utah to rebuild a stronger future, has chosen to move away.
As the current mayor of the county of Salt Lake, I proposed a summit – to the Sundance Resort himself – where we could meet as a partners and determine how to develop the festival, taking into account the changing landscape. A gathering of local leaders, creative voices and community partners, in a place built for dialogue and reflection. This offer has never been accepted.
In addition, the financial offers of the County of Salt Lake and the State of Utah were also serious and substantial; Proposed to increase funding, offer infrastructure and has provided a clear route. It was still not enough.
Let's be honest on what happened here: the current leadership of Sundance did not want to solve problems. They wanted to go from them. Instead of working in a community that was held near the festival through decades of growth, they opted for a clean break – and used politics as a practical excuse.
But politics is not the real story. If they were, Redford would never have planted his vision in Utah to start. Progressive himself, Redford understood that the impact occurs when you say the truth in hard places – not when you get out of it. He used his platform to protect public land, raise marginalized voices and push for change. Sundance became powerful because she operated in a place where this power meant something.
As a democratic mayor in a conservative state, I do not fear the challenges of Utah. I face them every day. But I also know that the presence of Sundance here has made a real difference. It opened doors to sub-represented communities. He gave the public access to new ideas and new perspectives. He planted seeds for change where it was most necessary.
This is a loss for Utah. But it is also a loss for Sundance. This outing leaves behind the environment which gave it its identity, but more importantly, the people and the principles that gave it meaning. Sundance has forgotten his roots, the community that built it and the essence of what made him brilliant in the first place; Independent voices are not only necessary in comfortable places – they are necessary in the places where they can really make a difference.
Jenny Wilson, Salt Lake City
The writer is the mayor of the county of Salt Lake.
