Latest news with #anti-lds
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Contributor: Of course Sundance is fleeing. Utah has become a hateful place
This past week, the Sundance Film Festival announced it will soon leave its four-decade-plus home in Park City, Utah, for Boulder, Colo. The gut reaction from many was 'Why did they leave?' Some close watchers answered by focusing on the 'political' angle to explain the hop over the state line — that it was all about 'leaving the red state for a blue one.' But the move from Utah to Colorado wasn't political. It was personal. A reasonable, rational choice to protect future participants and preserve the festival's integrity from hostile state politicians. The closest the Sundance Institute came to an explanation was a single line in the announcement's press release highlighting 'Boulder's welcoming environment' and the new location's alignment with the film festival's 'ethos.' Translation: Utah has become a mean state. While Utah's leaders often tout some economic success, there's far more to life than money. Women don't succeed there: Utah's spent 10 years at the bottom in a major annual ranking of girls' and women's equality. A school child was targeted by a member of the Utah state school board (and the Legislature chose not to impeach for that offense). Other kids now justifiably fear further attacks and public shaming. Partly in response, professionals have begun to exit the state. When asked to summarize last year's Utah legislative session, local reporters noted it was distinctively 'less friendly' toward people 'on the margins,' and that it stood out for 'the legislature wanting to do things to people rather than for people.' Utah's been measured as one of America's rudest states, perhaps because it goes out of its way to show itself to be unwelcoming to women, LGBTQ+ people and, weirdly, Californians. Gov. Spencer Cox has said he'd 'love for people to stay in California instead of coming as refugees to Utah.' Not long after he joked he'd 'love to build a wall around our state.' Not exactly warm (or all that funny). Kind of like the state senator who, after the announcement, immediately took to X to proclaim: 'Sundance promotes pornSundance promotes alternative lifestylesSundance promotes anti-lds themesSundance does not fit in Utah anymore.' Utah's new brand is, in a word, hate. For many this runs counter to the common public image — a chipper, smiling Utahn, maybe a lovable character from 'The Book of Mormon.' The governor likes to proclaim the 'Utah way,' which one local reporter defined as a place where 'politics and policymaking is really nice and polite.' But like the used-car salesman's grin, that can be a front. There's often a lot more to the story and some of it's not so nice. Full disclosure: I lived in Utah on and off (due to military service) over the last decade. Our family called Park City home for the past couple years leading up to Sundance's announcement. I've followed along from the decision's epicenter, which is why the factors in the public contest often mirrored those in our own private considerations. And, like Sundance, our family said goodbye to Utah. We recently also decamped for Colorado. It gives me no joy to write these words. Our family chose Utah once and hoped greatly for that to pan out. There are many wonderful, kind people there. For example, I was just at the Salt Lake City airport and talked with a woman who'd volunteered at the film festival for the past 22 years. It was clear she was sad. I was sad for her and the large local community that's supported the festival for so long and so well. But there should be no doubt that Sundance's departure is the direct result of a public life that's been deliberately polluted by Utah's politicians, who've used bad laws and bully pulpits to poison the atmosphere as much as the legendary smog inversion that often leaves Salt Lake City with some of the worst air in the U.S. Californians have been beating a path to Utah since John Ford made John Wayne a star with 1939's 'Stagecoach.' Part of that artistic migration included Robert Redford, who bought and bootstrapped what later became the Sundance Resort in the late 1960s. Redford also then created the Sundance Institute, the organization that would grow to lead and manage the film festival. The annual trek to Sundance wasn't just an excuse for a fun Park City ski getaway (just ask Gwyneth). It was a filmmaker's springboard, to transform up-and-comers into been-there, done-thats, including Ryan Coogler, Steven Soderbergh, Ava DuVernay and the two Andersons (Wes and Paul Thomas). It's amazing that Park City — such a small place in such a small state (Utah's entire population is smaller than that of the city of Los Angeles) has been such a great partner and had a big impact back on California. For Utah, the loss is a big blow. Last year the festival generated $132 million for the state, more than 1,700 jobs, nearly $70 million in Utah wages and about $14 million in state and local tax revenue. Beyond money, Park City will lose its heft as the annual axis on which global film culture spun every January. The scarier part about Sundance's move is what it says about the times we live in. It appears we've entered America's third Red Scare. Of course it features issues and problems particular to our own era, but the net result is the same — a dedicated effort to cut whole swaths of people out of participation in public and artistic life. While perhaps nobody in Utah maintains a state-level Hollywood blacklist, they don't have to. Utah's created an environment so hostile to certain artists that they've achieved another form of censorship. You don't need to ban people if they're made to feel unwelcome through fear. The states that insist on drawing bright red lines between what's ideologically acceptable and unacceptable will be the ones where films are policed by politicians and art is destroyed by diktat. And when those lines are drawn, everyone loses. ML Cavanaugh is the author of the forthcoming book 'Best Scar Wins: How You Can Be More Than You Were Before.' @MLCavanaugh If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Of course Sundance is fleeing. Utah has become a hateful place
This past week, the Sundance Film Festival announced it will soon leave its four-decade-plus home in Park City, Utah, for Boulder, Colo. The gut reaction from many was 'Why did they leave?' Some close watchers answered by focusing on the 'political' angle to explain the hop over the state line — that it was all about 'leaving the red state for a blue one.' But the move from Utah to Colorado wasn't political. It was personal. A reasonable, rational choice to protect future participants and preserve the festival's integrity from hostile state politicians. The closest the Sundance Institute came to an explanation was a single line in the announcement's press release highlighting 'Boulder's welcoming environment' and the new location's alignment with the film festival's 'ethos.' Translation: Utah has become a mean state. While Utah's leaders often tout some economic success, there's far more to life than money. Women don't succeed there: Utah's spent 10 years at the bottom in a major annual ranking of girls' and women's equality. A school child was targeted by a member of the Utah state school board (and the Legislature chose not to impeach for that offense). Other kids now justifiably fear further attacks and public shaming. Partly in response, professionals have begun to exit the state. When asked to summarize last year's Utah legislative session, local reporters noted it was distinctively 'less friendly' toward people 'on the margins,' and that it stood out for 'the legislature wanting to do things to people rather than for people.' Utah's been measured as one of America's rudest states, perhaps because it goes out of its way to show itself to be unwelcoming to women, LGBTQ+ people and, weirdly, Californians. Gov. Spencer Cox has said he'd 'love for people to stay in California instead of coming as refugees to Utah.' Not long after he joked he'd 'love to build a wall around our state.' Not exactly warm (or all that funny). Kind of like the state senator who, after the announcement, immediately took to X to proclaim: 'Sundance promotes pornSundance promotes alternative lifestylesSundance promotes anti-lds themesSundance does not fit in Utah anymore.' Utah's new brand is, in a word, hate. For many this runs counter to the common public image — a chipper, smiling Utahn, maybe a lovable character from 'The Book of Mormon.' The governor likes to proclaim the 'Utah way,' which one local reporter defined as a place where 'politics and policymaking is really nice and polite.' But like the used-car salesman's grin, that can be a front. There's often a lot more to the story and some of it's not so nice. Full disclosure: I lived in Utah on and off (due to military service) over the last decade. Our family called Park City home for the past couple years leading up to Sundance's announcement. I've followed along from the decision's epicenter, which is why the factors in the public contest often mirrored those in our own private considerations. And, like Sundance, our family said goodbye to Utah. We recently also decamped for Colorado. It gives me no joy to write these words. Our family chose Utah once and hoped greatly for that to pan out. There are many wonderful, kind people there. For example, I was just at the Salt Lake City airport and talked with a woman who'd volunteered at the film festival for the past 22 years. It was clear she was sad. I was sad for her and the large local community that's supported the festival for so long and so well. But there should be no doubt that Sundance's departure is the direct result of a public life that's been deliberately polluted by Utah's politicians, who've used bad laws and bully pulpits to poison the atmosphere as much as the legendary smog inversion that often leaves Salt Lake City with some of the worst air in the U.S. Californians have been beating a path to Utah since John Ford made John Wayne a star with 1939's 'Stagecoach.' Part of that artistic migration included Robert Redford, who bought and bootstrapped what later became the Sundance Resort in the late 1960s. Redford also then created the Sundance Institute, the organization that would grow to lead and manage the film festival. The annual trek to Sundance wasn't just an excuse for a fun Park City ski getaway (just ask Gwyneth). It was a filmmaker's springboard, to transform up-and-comers into been-there, done-thats, including Ryan Coogler, Steven Soderbergh, Ava DuVernay and the two Andersons (Wes and Paul Thomas). It's amazing that Park City — such a small place in such a small state (Utah's entire population is smaller than that of the city of Los Angeles) has been such a great partner and had a big impact back on California. For Utah, the loss is a big blow. Last year the festival generated $132 million for the state, more than 1,700 jobs, nearly $70 million in Utah wages and about $14 million in state and local tax revenue. Beyond money, Park City will lose its heft as the annual axis on which global film culture spun every January. The scarier part about Sundance's move is what it says about the times we live in. It appears we've entered America's third Red Scare. Of course it features issues and problems particular to our own era, but the net result is the same — a dedicated effort to cut whole swaths of people out of participation in public and artistic life. While perhaps nobody in Utah maintains a state-level Hollywood blacklist, they don't have to. Utah's created an environment so hostile to certain artists that they've achieved another form of censorship. You don't need to ban people if they're made to feel unwelcome through fear. The states that insist on drawing bright red lines between what's ideologically acceptable and unacceptable will be the ones where films are policed by politicians and art is destroyed by diktat. And when those lines are drawn, everyone loses. ML Cavanaugh is the author of the forthcoming book 'Best Scar Wins: How You Can Be More Than You Were Before.' @MLCavanaugh
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
End of an era: Sundance to leave Park City for Boulder, Colorado in 2027
The Sundance Film Festival will be packing up and heading east to Colorado after over 40 years in Utah. The Sundance Institute announced Thursday that it will relocate the massive film festival to Boulder, Colorado, spitting away from the state it originated in. "Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town," Sundance Institute CEO Amanda Kelso said in a prepared statement. "It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish. ... We can't imagine a better fit than Boulder." Rumors swirled in the lead up to this announcement, with Park City Mayor Nann Worel, in the State of Park City address on Tuesday, saying the recent bill passed to ban political flags in government buildings, including the gay pride flag, and anti-Sundance comments by elected officials "have not been helpful in our bid to keep the festival here." Sen. Daniel McCay, R-Riverton, for example tweeted: "Sundance promotes porn. Sundance promotes alternative lifestyles. Sundance promotes anti-lds themes. Sundance does not fit in Utah anymore." Deadline reported a "Sundance insider" as saying "Utah is Utah, but this goes to the heart of the community Sundance has worked years and years to develop." Utah Gov. Spencer Cox responded last week, "If that person does care about making a difference on these issues, I don't know why leaving makes that better." Sundance officials say "politics was not a part" of its final decision. Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board chair, said it was instead based on "a detailed evaluation of the key components essential to creating our festival." Those criteria are ethos, event capability, transportation and hospitality, inclusion and accessibility, financial sustainability and host partner support. The annual event debuted as the Utah/United States Film Festival, which was first held in Salt Lake City in 1978. It eventually moved to Park City in 1981 and morphed into the Sundance Film Festival after the Sundance Institute took over. However, its future in Utah became uncertain as the institute's existing contract with Park City expires in 2026, which will now be the last year the festival is held in Utah, from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1. Shortly after taking over, Sundance Institute CEO Amanda Kelso said in April 2024 that the organization would undergo a selection process for a host city of the festival, starting in 2027. Six cities were chosen in June 2024, but Atlanta, Louisville, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, were cut from consideration in September, narrowing the field to Cincinnati, Boulder and Utah. Utah was initially framed as the incumbent to beat. Its bid would have split the global event between Park City and Salt Lake City. The two cities, along with state, county and private entities, banded together as part of a committee to retain the event. They were dejected when they were informed Thursday morning that they had lost, but they don't believe it was from a lack of effort. The team believed it had pieced together a "top-tier" offer to retain the global event, which included millions in new public funds, millions more in private funds and over two dozen potential venues. obtained an overview of the state's offer, which would have nearly doubled the annual in-kind and cash public funding over the next 10 years. In-kind funding would have jumped from $3.7 million to $6.6 million annually, while proposed cash amounts would have risen from $2.7 million to $5.5 million every year. The proposed increase would have been covered by a mix of public sources, including state funding and various local tax revenues split between Salt Lake and Summit counties. Most of the proposed money would have come from private sources, especially through a proposed shakeup in corporate sponsorships to improve revenue there. This was estimated to net $30.2 million annually over the next decade, or over $230 million over that time. The event could have been scattered all over Salt Lake City and Park City, as well. Thirty venues of varying sizes were proposed, 25 of which were in Utah's capital city. Most of these were the usual suspects, like the Egyptian Theatre in Park City and the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in downtown Salt Lake City. There were several other public venues offered up, including Abravanel Hall, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and Clark Planetarium. Committee members scouted every potential venue over the past year, finding support from private venues willing to open their space up for events. The Depot, Keys on Main and the State Room were among other potential Sundance venues. Visit Salt Lake also pitched a free "Main to Main" shuttle service that would run every 30 minutes, connecting eventgoers from Main Street in Salt Lake City to Main Street in Park City. However, it was not enough to convince the Sundance Film Festival to stay. Colorado passed a film festival tax incentive bill this year, securing $34 million in refundable tax credits over a decade, if Sundance began the relocation process by Jan. 1, 2026. The University of Colorado Boulder also played a big role in the bid, with mentorship opportunities for students and an accomplished film faculty, according to Colorado Public Radio. "We have a real homegrown audience that's into more artistic cinema," CU professor and filmmaker Kelly Sears told Boulder Weekly. " I think there is a big population that is eager for cinema that skews toward the margins here." The walkable Pearl Street mall was attractive to the institute, according to the release. Festivalgoers will likely feel right at home at the historic art-deco Boulder Theater, which happens to be the spitting image of the Egyptian. It is unclear how the move will affect the already established Boulder International Film Festival, the First Person Cinema and International Film Series, and other smaller festivals that have flourished there. Sundance founder Robert Redford released a statement, saying, "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. What we've created is remarkably special and defining." This story might be updated.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Bye Felicia?': Salt Lake City not elaborating on report claiming Sundance may leave over pride flag bill
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Debate over whether the Sundance Film Festival will stay in Utah is heating up after a new report from Deadline claimed that the festival is in jeopardy of leaving Utah over a recent bill barring pride flags on schools and government property. The Deadline report says the festival's concerns were discussed in a meeting held between Salt Lake City leaders and members of the festival's selection committee Tuesday. Local leaders confirmed the meeting took place but wouldn't specify what was discussed. What Utah is doing to try to keep the Sundance Film Festival 'What are they thinking?' a Sundance insider told Deadline about passing H.B.77. 'Utah is Utah, but this goes to the heart of the community Sundance has worked years and years to develop,' the insider reportedly said. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall told ABC4 that 'there is not a state in this nation where inclusivity, diversity, and empathy aren't under attack,' adding that 'everyone has a role in standing up for those values.' 'Salt Lake City will never stop supporting our neighbors, including the lgbtqia community, and Sundance is an incredible partner in that support. The power of amplifying voices and creating change through art is needed now more than ever in this ongoing work,' Mendenhall said. Seemingly at the center of this is H.B. 77, which awaits Gov. Spencer Cox's signature or veto. The bill prohibits the display of pride flags in classrooms and government buildings. The bill's House Sponsor, Trevor Lee (R – West Jordan), didn't mince words on Sundance's reported concerns about the bill. 'A pathetic excuse in my opinion,' he said. 'This bill makes flags politically neutral on taxpayer-funded entities, not private, not businesses, those groups can still do whatever they want.' The bill's Senate Sponsor, Daniel McCay (R – Riverton), took to social media with his thoughts, sharing the deadline article with the caption, 'Bye Felicia.' 'Sundance promotes porn, Sundance promotes alternative lifestyles, Sundance promotes anti-lds themes,' McCay wrote. 'Sundance does not fit in Utah anymore.' But not every Republican lawmaker agrees. Just over a week ago, Senate President Stuart Adams (R – Layton) — one of the state's top GOP leaders — told ABC4 that he wants to keep Sundance in Utah. He said that's why lawmakers allocated $3.5 million, the amount the festival organizers requested, to support the film festival. 'I'm very clear. I want Sundance to stay,' Adams said. 'I've expressed that to them. I think many people have. I don't think they'll have the same notoriety if they leave Utah.' Lee said he doesn't care if Sundance leaves. 'It's just not a good representation of what Utah is and what our values espouse in the film industry that they push there, and for that side of it, I would be okay if they left Utah,' Lee said. 'As it pertains to the business and economics side, I mean, I really do believe we'll do fine without them.' Sundance's decision is expected in early spring. ABC4 reached out to festival organizers for comment but did not hear back by the time of publishing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
