Opinion: What does the loss of a film festival mean?

Yahoo

02-04-2025

A report by the market research firm Y2 Analytics said the Sundance Film Festival provides about $132 million to Utah's annual gross domestic product, as well as 1,730 jobs.
That is not a small addition to the state's economy, and it underscores how much the festival will be missed when it moves, as its organizers have announced, to Boulder, Colorado, beginning in 2027.
Still, it should be kept in context.
Utah's 2023 total GDP was $225.5 billion, according to USAfacts.org, making the festival 0.06% of the total. And that GDP grew by 3.7% that year and continues to grow. Utah saw a total of 14.6 million out-of-state travelers in 2023.
Some of the money lost when the festival leaves will be mitigated by extra skier tourism days filling hotels and restaurants that used to be filled with festivalgoers.
In other words, Utah's economy will be fine.
However, this is about more than just dollars and cents.
Over its more than 40 years in Utah — and prior to the 2002 Olympics — Sundance came to define Park City. That, in turn, amounted to the equivalent of millions of dollars in free advertising for the state and the ski town. Doubtless, many tourists came to Utah because of impressions made by coverage of the festival, in the process spending money on hotels, car rentals and meals. Those visits no doubt expanded into excursions to national parks and monuments, as well as to other Utah tourist destinations.
Sundance lent a creative and entertainment flare to the state that will be difficult to replace. It was also a springboard, particularly in its first decade, to assist aspiring screenwriters in Utah and the West.
The governor and supporters such as Jazz and Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith immediately floated the idea of another event or festival to replace Sundance, and that's an idea worth exploring, particularly with the 2034 Winter Olympics in Utah's future that will again bring the world here. Utah needs big ideas.
Boulder now stands to benefit from some of the ancillary benefits of exposure, but the gains must be calculated against the costs of tax incentives that were put in place to attract the festival. Colorado is poised to provide the festival $34 million in tax credits for 10 years starting in 2027.
Utah would have provided $6.6 million in yearly in-kind funding, and $5.5 million in cash. Now that money may be used elsewhere.
This seems to be a common theme these days as states compete against each other, offering tax incentives to lure large businesses, sports teams and, now, a film festival.
It's important, therefore, to note that the loss of Sundance is, by no means, the end of filmmaking associated with Utah. The state's magnificent scenery and accommodating nature will see to that.
Acclaimed filmmaker Kevin Costner has developed an affinity for the state. He recently finished a $100 million film studio and soundstage in the desert near the St. George Regional Airport. He also recently completed filming 'Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2.'
Last year, after finishing the first chapter of this proposed four-part epic, Costner told Variety, 'When you go through Utah, it's magic. And it wasn't easy for us to do. There were certain things that weren't set up that we see in other states. ... But I kind of bypassed the smart business decision to go where my money could stretch farther.'
He said the production of that first chapter spent more than $100 million in Utah. 'We had an impact on the state, but the state had an impact on me,' he said.
Costner told the St. George News that his new studio is 'just great for filmmakers; it's great for the people who want to enter that business living in Utah. I like the whole circle of how it can work.'
We note, also, that Redford had nothing but kind words for the state his festival is leaving behind. 'Words cannot express the sincere gratitude I have for Park City, the state of Utah, and all those in the Utah community that have helped to build the organization,' he said on the Sundance website.
The state should express similar gratitude to Redford for what he did to put the state on the map for movie producers and actors. Thankfully, that effort appears to now have momentum of its own.