Utah Governor Eyes New Festival after the release of Sundance

(Updated with the Pride Flag Ban Co-Sponsor Rep. Lee declaration) The Governor of Utah licked his injuries and quickly started from the news that the Sundance Film Festival leaves the state to boulder, Colorado in 2027.

Only a few hours after the Robert Redford founded Shindig, based in Park City, revealed that he was drawing stakes and headed for blue state nearby after next year, Governor Spencer Cox says that plans are written to create a new film festival in Utah – and he will use Sundance allocated in cash to start.

“I will also include on a special session call that we should delete a 3.5 million dollars credit that had been allocated to the Sundance Film Festival,” wrote the Republican in a letter to the legislators Thursday evening after 11^th The signature of the time invoice and not signing Sprint. “Let us fill this money with Utah’s efforts to create a new festival and a world -class cinematographic economy here in our state.”

In a final effort to keep Sundance in Utah, with Salt Lake City becoming the center, Governor Cox offered $ 3 million in public funds. The supermajority of the GOP in the Legislative Assembly increased by $ 3.5 million, with approximately $ 12 million more in kind incentives and millions of others of what was called “private entities”.

However, with Boulder putting $ 34 million in incentives on the table during the next decade and much more on the table, Utah simply did not keep the cards. On March 27, almost a year after saying that they would take throws for a new house. Sundance Brass made official what the deadline had reported for months. After more than 40 years in Utah, independent cinema Hootenanny had signed a 10 -year contract with the neighbor of the state of Beehive in the hope of renewal and evolution.

Direct participant in the United Utah offer and a large Sundance booster over the years, Cox has called The Move as “error”. The governor has made little effort to hide his dismay once the announcement has become public, nor his desire to fill the big screen as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, we will continue to do what we have always done: support the filmmakers and build a world -class cinematographic economy here in UTAH,” wrote Cox on X. “We have already started to meet partners, stakeholders and creative voices to create a new festival – the one who honors our heritage and writes the next chapter of the independent film in Utah.”

At this very early stage, no details on the way, when and where the new festival will materialize.

Although the chairman of the board of directors of Sundance Institute, EBS Burnough, said that the contrary on Thursday, the fact is that politics in the era of the Trump 2.0 division would always play a role in the future of Sundance in Utah.

“Unfortunately, a recent bill adopted by the UTAH Legislative Assembly and the comments formulated by certain legislators have not been useful in our attempt to maintain the festival here,” honestly declared the mayor of Park City, in retirement, about the anti-emission measure openly discriminating in his speech in the city of March 25. Targeting specifically with the ban on LGBTQ + flags and banners on buildings and public schools, the Sponsors of House Bill 77, Trevor Lee and Senator Dan McCay (who, earlier this month, declared that Sundance returned “porn” and “no longer corresponded to UTAH”, while the republication of a deadline) invoice was all about political neutrality.

Scheduled to start on May 7, months before the final year of Park City next January, HB77 prohibits not only the LBGTQ +flags, but contains a provision for a fine of $ 500 per day for each flag of pride which has flown since and in the buildings funded by the State.

With the progressive mayor of SLC, the ACLU and the equality of UTAH opposing HB77, COX has never said anyway if it would sign the bill. Several sources tell me that the ambiguity of the governor was largely in the hope of keeping Sundance, with his ethics of inclusion, in the state. While this wish has dissipated once the decision to move to Boulder has become official and Cox faced a deadline of March 27 to sign or veto the bills, the governor decided to do either.

In UTAH, which, from Thursday evening, banned water fluoride and moved to eliminate the universal voting system by messaging, a bill can become law if the governor does not sign it or do not reject it. This is what Cox did, or rather, did not do with regard to the draft anti-emission flag.

Which agreed with the representative Lee. “Glad it is the law, does not really care not to be signed,” said UTAH House District 16 Friday. “And a new, more family festival sounds good!”

Cox was a little more optimistic about the country’s new law.

“HB 77 was one of the bills most confronted with the session, and I am deeply disappointed that he has not landed in a better place,” wrote Governor Cox himself last night detailed a certain number of logistical gaps of the sad first in the law adopted by the legislation and the limits of his own power. “I understand that there has been an agreement on a compromise which would have deleted problematic parts of the bill while retaining other people who would support political neutrality in class. faults. “

Cox added: “There are so many examples of the LGBTQ community and the conservative community that meet to find a useful and hopeful compromise. I hope we can keep this as a model and star of the North.

For our LGBTQ community, I know that recent legislation has been difficult. Politics can sometimes be a bit of a blood sport and I know that we have had our disagreements. I want you to know that I love you and that I appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state. I know that these words can sound in many of you, but know that I sincerely think them. »»

Prohibition of flags, new festivals and everything, the last Sundance in Utah for at least a decade takes place from January 22 to February 1, 2026.