Sundance Film Festival Could Be Forced To Leave Utah

Sundance Film Festival might be looking for a new home base for its future festivals. Sundance, originally called the Utah/U.S. Film Festival, is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute that began in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1978. The festival has historically been an event to celebrate and foster American independent filmmaking, which led to Robert Redford founding the Sundance Institute to further its purpose. The festival has naturally been a place where progressive ideas can flourish in all of their glory, but that might be changing due to a recently proposed bill in Utah.

The bill, HB77, that plans to ban the Pride flag in schools and other state government buildings, is going before Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox. The bid is led by Gov. Cox, with SLC and Park City mayors onboard along with regional business and civic leaders. While the bill would not prevent people from flying the Pride flag at parades, protests, or as a symbol of themselves, the law will prohibit all flags except the U.S. flag, the Utah state flag, Olympic flags, military flags and the flags of universities and colleges from being flown or put up by or inside state and other public buildings.

With Sundance’s residency at SLC expiring in 2026, three possible locations are vying to be Sundance’s home for the next decade – Salt Lake City/Park City, Boulder, Colorado, and Cincinnati, Ohio. If the bill passes, it will most likely play a large role in which city will be the new host of the film festival. According to an insider via Deadline, the new home of the Sundance Film Festival should be announced by the end of April.

Censorship Stifling Art

While not being able to fly the Pride flag in Utah might not exactly inhibit the events of the festival, the bill goes deeper than just the image of the flag. If passed, the bill shows a deeper intolerance and bigotry in the state that does not mesh well with the progressive values that typically come along with filmmaking and a community of filmmakers. It could be offensive to some to have the Pride flag banned and possibly lead to censorship of the festival’s films, which could create a situation like that of the cancelation Mubi’s film festival due to Turkey’s ban of Luca Guadagino’s Queer.

Censorship has become a highly divided term, with many different ideas about what it means and applies to. However, most of those who appreciate art will vouch for the lack of censorship when it comes to artworks like films. Banning a flag that represents acceptance and inclusion would create an environment that is open to the censorship of marginalized voices like those of queer individuals and communities.

A festival celebrating and showcasing the latest artworks from those around the country should not have to live in an area of censorship. Art cannot thrive in a place of discrimination and intolerance, but this is not the end of the popular film festival. Sundance may be on to bigger and better places if the bill is passed, and it’s only Utah’s loss.

Source: Deadline

Sundance Film Festival

Founded

August 1, 1978

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The Sundance Film Festival provides and preserves the space for artists in film and episodic storytelling to create and thrive.