The departure of the Sundance Film Festival weighed heavily Friday over a panel of five Park City arts leaders at the annual Park City Leadership Symposium. 

Ben Anderson, founder of Park City Song Summit, called the festival the “fair-haired child” of Park City’s arts scene that “gave us the one-fingered salute” and disowned the family. He and the other panelists contemplated how Sundance’s siblings in the Park City arts scene might fill the void left by the festival.

For Katy Wang, executive director of Park City Film, the biggest void left by the Sundance Film Festival that she hopes to fill is inspiring Park City’s youth. 

“My kids, growing up here, are saying all of these stories that they got exposed to are spreading their imaginations, sparking that creativity and (making them) go, ‘I could be that,’” she said.

Jamie Wilcox, executive director of Egyptian YouTheatre, agreed.

“We cannot talk about centering the arts if we’re not talking about giving these opportunities to young people,” she said.

She added that not all children will grow up to be artists — some may even work jobs that don’t exist yet, particularly due to advances in AI — but that the skills children gain by being grounded in the arts are essential. 

“Our kids are coming back and telling us, ‘It helps me with interviews. It helps me speak up for myself and others. It helps me collaborate,’” she said. “If these aren’t skills we’re teaching them and in a fun way, we’re giving them a disadvantage in their future.”

Meanwhile, Brian Richards, executive director of Mountain Town Music, thought the biggest void the festival left was the presentation of art that takes creative risks or discusses difficult subject matters, challenging perspectives and sparking conversations.

“I’m not sure that we, as an arts and cultural collective, are doing enough right now to continue to shape those future discussions,” he said.

He then brought up musical plants.

“I had a thing come across my desk. This artist was going to bring in a bunch of plants, and they were going to connect microphones to the plants, and they were going to create music,” he recalled.

But he couldn’t think of a suitable venue for the artist. 

That led straight into a discussion of arts spaces, or the lack thereof, in Park City. 

Jocelyn Scudder, executive director of the Arts Council of Park City and Summit County and moderator of the panel, pointed out that the need for such spaces was outlined in the Arts & Culture Master Plan created by the Arts Council, which was approved by the Park City and Summit County councils earlier this year.

Anderson said he hopes that manifests in the form of a facility similar to the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte, Colorado. The Center for the Arts was established in 1985 to revive the ski town, and in 2019, a new, 28,000-square-foot building was opened, costing about $20 million.

“They do food and wine festival outdoors. They do a summer concert music series outdoors. Indoors, they do art, music, drama. They have culture. There’s 1,600 people in Crested Butte. What are we doing?” Anderson asked. “We are so far behind. We are so lacking.”

Richards agreed. He asked whether anyone regularly saw live music on Main Street. A few raised their hands. 

He then asked where people see live music most. People shouted out venues like The Marquis and The Spur. Richards pointed out that those were venues for patrons 21 and older and emphasized the need for spaces for youth musicians. 

He added that Park City live music is “beholden” to the whims of ski resorts during the winter, which tend to host only DJs.

Anderson described bringing live music to Park City as “an uphill, Sisyphean battle because we don’t have the space.”

Wrapping up the panel, Scudder asked each panelist how they wanted to look back on the arts scene 10 years from now.

“In this town, we always joke that you could throw a stick and hit an Olympian. I would love to be able to throw a stick and hit an artist,” Wang said. 

All agreed that they wanted further investment in the arts scene, diversifying Park City’s portfolio so the tourism industry can survive even during warm winters.

But for that investment to happen, words have to turn into actions.

“I have been in so many of these meetings, going back to sitting up at the loft of the costume area at the Egyptian Theatre with Randy Barton, trying to outline how we could move forward as an arts and cultural society. All we’ve done for 15 years is talk about it. We need each and every one of you in this room to pursue action now,” Richards said. 

“I don’t know how much we have talked about AI today, but we are at a critical junction, and we are going to experience a lot of pain. And there is no way around that,” he continued. “And we are going to need one another. We’re going to need artists. We’re going to need community. … When we are sitting here in 2036, we’re going to say, ‘We did it. We provided joy. We provided community gatherings. We contributed to the wellness of our community.’”

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Park City leaders on Thursday night approved an increase in the number of screenings by Park City Film at the Santy Auditorium inside the Park City Library.

But not before a bit of drama befitting the auditorium’s longtime status as a Sundance Film Festival screening room.

The Park City Council, on a 4-1 vote, agreed to amend a lease between City Hall and the not-for-profit Park City Film, which produces a popular series of screenings in the auditorium. The elected officials allowed an increase in the number of screenings each year to 200 from the 130 previously approved. They also agreed to allow Park City Film to extend the season beginning in 2027 to a 12-month schedule from the traditional season that runs from Sept. 1 until June 30.

City Councilor Jeremy Rubell cast the dissenting vote. The first-term city councilor commented about the number of screenings in the request by Park City Film. He said he was concerned about the 200 figure and worried about others desiring to use the Santy Auditorium being bumped by Park City Film screenings. Rubell wanted to ensure the public has access to the auditorium as well.

Katharine Wang, the executive director of Park City Film, said the organization reached the 200-screening total based on past experience and a desire to grow.

Rubell later expressed concern with what he described as “locking up a public asset.”

Ryan Dickey, another member of the City Council, spoke about Park City Film being a community asset.

The discussions about Park City Film’s presence inside the auditorium stood out with the upcoming departure of Sundance after decades in Park City. Festival organizers will move the event to Boulder, Colorado, after the 2026 edition, choosing that location over a combined effort by Park City and Salt Lake City as well as a bid by Cincinnati.

Sundance’s use of the Santy Auditorium forced a Park City Film hiatus each year for the festival. The removal of Sundance as a temporary tenant opened more possibilities for Park City Film, which cited the departure of the film festival in an April submittal to the municipal government.

Park City Film in the submittal said it was readying for Sundance’s move to Boulder, explaining, “We would like to take the opportunity to fill these film programming gaps by extending our season.” It also said the departure “makes our mission that much more critical, as we are now the last bastion for independent film in Summit County.” 

Wang mentioned the Sundance move in a similar fashion.

The increase in screenings approved on Thursday drew support prior to the City Council decision.

Betsy Wallace, a former Sundance executive, called film “critical” to the mental health of a community. Joanna Charnes, a longtime figure in Park City’s arts sector, spoke about films bringing people together. Members of the leadership of Park City Film also spoke in favor.

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Park City Film will host a screening of several Latinx short films for children on Saturday.

“The New York International Children’s Film Festival’s annual Spanish-language program delivers Latinx short films from around the world,” reads a page on Park City Film’s website, “transporting audiences across the Americas and into the history of Mesoamerica, reminding them of the power of family, perseverance, and believing in magic.”

The event will be part of the Cine en Español Series with Park City Library and is presented in partnership with New York International Children’s Film Festival.

The program includes the following films, with info provided by Park City Film:

Little Birds — Mexico, Animation, Gabriela Badillo, 2023, 9 mins. Spanish

• From a shelter in northern Mexico, the voices of boys and girls show that dreams survive even the most trying migrations.

Balam — Mexico, United States, Animation, Guillermo Casarin, 2023, 10 mins. Spanish and Mayan with English subtitles

• Itzel, on a camping trip deep in the jungle, frees a jaguar from captivity. When a furious poacher gives chase, she stumbles upon a mysterious lost Mayan city.

Ceiba Y Sus Raíces Taínas — United States, Animation, Jacqueline Ferreira, Brithney Rivera, & Megan Schmitz, 2023, 4 mins. Spanish with English subtitles

• Disaster strikes the island of Puerto Rico as Guabancex, Spirit of Chaos, leads a hurricane.  Only Ceiba can prevent catastrophic doom.

Canta Santiago — United States, Live Action, James Valdez, 2023, 12 mins. Spanish with English subtitles

• A young mariachi faces his first performance alone and discovers his brother has always been by his side.

Dulce — United States, Animation, Aleyda Ortiz, Lok Cheang, & Kevin Class, 2023, 4 mins. Spanish

• An exploration of the loving relationship between a mother and a daughter.

Karol, the Vampire Queen — Colombia, Live Action, Alfonso Acosta, 2023, 12 mins. Spanish with English subtitles

• On the day of her eighth birthday party, Karol just wants to be a vampire queen. Her family isn’t so supportive of her unique aspiration.

Marque Dos — United States, Live Action, Asha Chai-Chang, 2023, 11 mins. American Sign Language, English, Spanish

• An aspiring tour manager moves up the ranks while self-discovery faces off with the demands of her dream job.

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