As the Sundance Film Festival wraps its final run in Utah, locals and industry professionals reflect on its legacy and impact over the past five decades.
With Sundance moving to Boulder, Colorado, next year, festivalgoers are sharing stories — from meeting Taylor Swift to getting that big break as a filmmaker.
A local point of view
Amelia Nixon is a bookseller at Dolly’s Books and a lifelong Park City resident. At 20 years old, she said Sundance has been a constant for her every winter. However, Nixon said the festival has outgrown her hometown.
“It’s [the festival] changed a lot since COVID,” said Nixon. “I don’t think it’s the same as it was when I was little … I definitely think it’s time for it to move on.”
Nixon said Sundance takes a lot of resources away from the locals. She acknowledged the boost to the local economy, but she said the increased foot traffic the bookstore gets doesn’t translate into sales.
She did, however, share the Sundance moment to top them all.
“I went to the first-ever showing of ‘Miss Americana,’ the Taylor Swift movie,” she said. “She was at the Q&A, so I got to meet her.”
“Miss Americana” premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Two camps of people
While Nixon is ready to say farewell to Sundance, longtime resident George Dylmaski isn’t.
Dylmaski has lived in Park City since 1990 and attended most of the festivals since. He said he will miss Sundance being “in his own backyard.”
“I think there are two camps of people,” said Dylmaski. “I think the minority is the camp that thinks the town was overrun … I mean, it’s got to the point where it’s obviously super popular and everything, but you know, it brings money to the town.”
Dylmaski said there are also perks to being a local.
“People enjoy going to the films and being local,” he said. “You can still get ticket packets or volunteer.”
Although films are Sundance’s main draw, Dylmaski said music has also played a big role.
On Sunday afternoon, he waited in line outside the ASCAP Music Café, a longtime festival staple known for its intimate concerts and panels with filmmakers and composers.
“I’ve been coming to the ASCAP Music Café since it started, and I’ve seen some great names,” he said. “[From] little unknown people and then you’re big artists.”
The venue has hosted artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, Sting, Neil Young and St. Vincent.
Industry voices reflect the Sundance legacy
Editor in Chief Anna Pattison is in town for the festival with “Cinema Femme Magazine,” a Chicago‑based nonprofit.
“We focus on female, trans, non-binary voices in film, and we look to elevate those,” she said. “So, we work with people all over. We have a short film festival and a magazine, that’s digital and print.”
Pattison said she is grateful to have experienced Sundance in Park City.
“I like how quaint it is here, and I just don’t know what to expect from Boulder, but I’m open and excited to see what it is,” she said. “It will be neat to be part of the last one in Park City and the first in Boulder.”
“The Best Summer” is the second film for director Tamra Davis to land at Sundance. The first was “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child” in 2010.
During a live panel at ASCAP Café on Jan. 25, Davis said it was “an honor” to be back at Sundance.
“I was at the tribute to Robert Redford and … what an incredible thing he built,” she said.
Davis thanked people behind the scenes, including volunteers and attendees.
“This is how independent film really got started …” she said. “My first film that I did … was here. So, to come back with a film [this year], I’m just so, so grateful and excited to be here.”
