All good things come to an end. The Sundance Film Festival has been an important part of the Park City community for 40 years. As with all things that matter, it has been both challenging and rewarding.
I served on the Sundance Utah Advisory Board for 12 years and was able to get an inside view on the festival and the incredible amount of work and effort it took to actually pull off the event. People like Jill Miller, Sarah Pearce, Betsy Wallace and a host of other incredibly intelligent and dedicated people pulled off a herculean effort every year to put on a grand party that was an international attraction. It brought over 1,000 journalists every year to Utah and gave visitors to Utah a perspective that would be almost impossible to replicate.
I will personally miss Sundance. I had some downright Forrest Gump-moments (including escorting the lovely Taylor Swift to the opening night dinner) and was able to have experiences that I continue to hold absolutely precious years later. While I do appreciate the efforts from the chamber and Governor’s Office to retain the festival, I suspect the decision was made some time ago and this was merely an attempt to soften the blow and ensure a smooth 2025 fest.
Despite efforts by some random, preternaturally angry and spiteful Utah legislators to denigrate the festival and help to ensure its demise, largely the people affected the most by the festival held it dear and will remember it fondly.
It is only fitting to bow low to Mr. Redford and his insistence over the years that the festival remain in Utah. The festival gave Utah a perspective that has lifted us, challenged our boundaries in a constructive way and helped to shape the economic landscape that Utah now enjoys.
A big thank you and acknowledgement to Mr. Redford’s steadfast vision, the Sundance team and their determination to give us the best show they could, often in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
It has been a great party and I for one appreciate the festival for what it was — an almost magical moment every year where we spearheaded the world’s cultural landscape. We were able to showcase the best of Utah, the best of Park City and, in most cases, the best of ourselves.
Thank you, Sundance, for 40 wonderful years. God bless and the best of luck in Boulder. Not sure you won’t face the same or similar difficulties, but good luck just the same.
Rory Murphy
Park City