Sundance: Who Comes?                          

By: Olivia Bezemer, Sophie Young

Every year hundreds of people from around the world gather in Park City, Utah, for the most celebrated film festival in North America. These people range from small town tourists to some of today’s biggest stars. This year’s stars are found strolling along Main Street and all over Park City.  

Some of the most common stars this year you would have seen wandering Main Street include people such as: Nick and Joe Jonas, John Legend, James Franco, Daniel Radcliffe, Tyler Posey, Austin Butler, Selena Gomez, etc.

They all come for the same reason. To celebrate the films they may or may not be in. Many of them have been featured in varieties of films every year; for example, Nick Jonas was featured in a small film named ‘Goat’.

This year is Sundance’s 38th year anniversary. The festival started in 1986, and it was just a small film festival in a small ski town. Look at it now, it’s the the country’s largest film festival, with a handful of people that come to Park City. On average, there’s about 40-50 different stars that come to Sundance each year.

It is a very popular activity for tourists, and even locals to go up to Main Street in search of the celebrities. Although the festival lasts ten days, most locals only find themselves up on Main Street two days of the ten. The tourists come from all over, along with the filmmakers that are coming from all around the world. Sundance attracts all kinds of people from all kinds of cultures. There are even field trips for the middle schoolers to go and see one of the films each year. And the high schoolers and junior high schoolers get to go to a lecture hall and see Sundance short films.

Since 1986 Sundance has been a success. Still growing in popularity each year, this vast event has brought a lot of income, tourists, and morphed this small ski town into what it is today.

Redford’s Revolution

This year marks the thirty-eighth year of the annual Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival is the most celebrated independent film festival in the United States. Founded by Robert Redford in 1978, Sundance is an event where independent filmmakers can come to get their work widely noticed and viewed. It takes place mainly in Park City, Utah, but also in many other locations in the state, including Salt Lake City, Ogden, and the Sundance Ski Resort. Since 1978, the festival’s size has increased dramatically. Today, there are over twelve thousand films submitted to the festival, about three-hundred of which are accepted to screen.

In 1969, Robert Redford bought the estate where the festival originated. The property was previously owned by a Scottish family who had created a ski resort called Timp Haven. New York businessmen had the desire to transform the property into a financial hotspot. However, according to the Sundance Mountain Resort website, Redford declined the offer. He thought that the land was sacred, especially for the Ute tribes that lived on the land prior to the creation of the ski resort. Many years after the purchase of the land, Redford began the film festival in the small area. As the festival continued to grow, it was in dire need of more facilities, which led to Redford’s decision to expand the event into Park City, Utah. Since then, the festival has expanded to Salt Lake City and Ogden because of the lack of viewing spaces in Sundance and Park City.

Today, the Sundance Film Festival is a big occurrence attended by people from all over the world, including many stars. Many people have differing opinions concerning Sundance. For example, Sharon Maddux, the Filmmaking teacher at Treasure Mountain Junior High in Park City, said that she has been participating in the festival for about fifteen years, and loves the variety of films brought to Sundance. When asked what her favorite all-time film was from the festival, she admitted that she couldn’t decide. She stated, “This is a tough question to answer because different films generate my appreciation for many different reasons.” This interview showcased some of the reasons Sundance is so loved.

There is no doubt that Sundance is a very special event for many people, and will continue to be for many years to come.

-Ellie and Rachel


Main Street, Park City

Sources

"About Us." Sundance Mountain Resort Founded by Robert Redford. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
"Sundance Film Festival Announces 2016 Lineup of In-competition Films." Sundance Film Festival Announces 2016 Lineup of In-competition Films. N.p., 3 Dec. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
"30 Years of Sundance Film Festival - Sundance Institute." 30 Years of Sundance Film Festival - Sundance Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

Sundance Kids Isn't Just for Kids

Sundance has introduced the first new program that offers movies specifically geared for children; Sundance Kids.  Sundance Kids is a program that allows kids to watch age-appropriate movies created by independent filmmakers. [A lot of] Sundance movies can be inappropriate and unpredictable, but that’s why Sundance Kids is so important. Kids can get the experience of a Sundance movie with a guarantee that the movie will be appropriate for their age. Sundance Kids also gives new filmmakers the opportunity to start their careers by making movies that appeal to an easier, younger audience.

The movie we had the pleasure of viewing was called “Little Gangster,” a Dutch film directed, by Arne Toonen. The movie is about a child named Rik Boskamp, who lives alone with his spineless, clumsy father in the Netherlands. When offered the opportunity to move to a different neighborhood and school, he gladly takes it to escape the constant bullying he receives in his current life. After watching a movie about the Italian Mafia, Rikki decides to tell all his new classmates and neighbors that his dad is a Mafia boss. He changes his name to Rikki Boskampi and starts his first day of his new school with a bad-boy attitude and a fake Italian background. Due to many humorous circumstances and coincidences, Rikki lives his new life ruling and intimidating the neighborhood, until all his lies catch up with him. In a hilarious ending, his dad finally gets over his clumsiness and forgetfulness and saves Rikki from a rival Mafia gang that trapped him.

The ticket to "Little Gangster"

          To get an accurate review of Sundance Kids and the Sundance Kids movie “Little Gangster”, our friend Bianca Festavan, who accompanied us during the film was interviewed. She had acquired the tickets as a gift from her mom, who couldn’t attend the showing. When asking her how the tickets were acquired as a local and she responded with, “I think my mom bought the Locals’ Package." 
The Locals’ Package is a set of ten tickets. They give you a date and time on when you can go to the Sundance website and you have an hour to choose the ten movies you want to go to. My mom chose “Little Gangster” for my friends and I, because she thought the title was funny. After asking her a series of questions about her experience she replied with, “I thought it was pretty good. The crowds and lines were somewhat long, but the movie was worth the wait.”  
The topic of Sundance and Sundance Kids’ independent films were also discussed. Ms. Festavan stated, “I think Sundance Kids is a great program. I know my parents have been to some pretty weird, creepy, Sundance movies and they were kind of hesitant for me to go to the movie without them, but this movie seemed really protected and kid friendly.”

Then, her personal opinion about the film, “Little Gangster”, was asked.  
“Honestly, the movie was really spectacular. Even though it was a little slow at first it definitely made me laugh and gave me a deeper understanding of Italians. My whole mom’s side of the family is Italian and it was so cool because my great grandpa was rumored to be part of the Mafia. One of my favorite things about the movie was that it was all in Dutch, and it was so different to hear an entire movie in another language.”  
In conclusion, Bianca gave the Sundance Kids movie “Little Gangster” a 4.5 out of a 5 star rating.

Bianca Festavan and Caroline Powell, post movie

Hopefully, the film “Little Gangster” will be picked up by a studio, and will be seen in a couple of years all over America. Overall, Sundance Kids is an amazing program for all audiences. This part of Sundance - and the Sundance Kids movies - should not be overlooked simply because they are geared towards a younger audience because, as Bianca Festavan stated, “They have something for everyone.”

Sundance Institute. "Sundance Institute to Present New “Sundance Kids” Section in Collaboration with Utah Film Center at 2014 Sundance Film Festival." Sundance Institute. Sundance Institute, 2000-2016. Web. 27 Jan. 2016 

 <Mia Rapella><Cameron Burke><Caroline Powell> 

 

The Time of Tourists

Hello, readers!

It’s that time of year again, folks: Sundance - a horrible time wherein uninformed tourists wander our town of Park City and completely ruin our lives. Main Street becomes “locals versus tourists” as both try to get into restaurants, clubs and whatever VIP tents companies have to offer. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you can agree I’m not too far off.

These people come, invade our streets for ten insufferable days, and in these ten days, they crowd our stores, litter our streets, and blind us with their intolerable fashion sense.

Let's jump right in with the crowds. These could easily be the worst thing about being a tourist town, because this happens all year long. Whether it's a little league softball tournament or 4th of July weekend, Park City is packed. Sundance Film Festival is no exception; in fact, it’s the peak of tourism… which means that all of the markets in town are out of everything, and you have to leave twenty minutes early for a ten minute drive, thanks to traffic. Teachers try to put a positive spin on it by saying we get to leave ten minutes early, but come on, guys - we know you hate it, too.

Next, the litter. Oh, my gosh! How hard is it to throw your used brochure in the recycling bin that’s two feet away from you?! If not a recycling bin, at least a trash can, please! Some of the places wherein Sundance shows films are “no food” facilities, and it seems as though our guests can't read the sign. For example, the Eccles Center. Tourists seem to think that the floor is their own personal landfill, but tourists, from me to you, volunteers are not your janitors!

Third, the fashion. The facepalm-worthy, try-hard fashion in which tourists engage, seemingly based around fur. My theory is that they believe that's how Parkites usually dress, but in reality, casual workout gear is what gets most of us through our day. I would guess that this is the time when the empty fur stores on Main Street rake in all their dough.

Finally, the false promise of celebrities. We are made guarantees of Brad Pitts and Johnny Depps, wandering the streets aimlessly, trying to find fans, but in reality, they are all tied up in elite clubs with people who, frankly, are way more interesting than you and me.

All of these things make up the Sundance Film Festival, which is a huge source of income in Park City and Sundance... even when a huge source of income still sucks.

Thanks for reading, and I’m out! ✌