At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, some attendees are planning to express their worldviews through methods beyond cinematic art. If you can’t guess what’s in store, maybe this will help: the festival begins the day before President Trump’s inauguration. And lots of progressives attend. (Read: protests.)
The annual Park City, Utah cinematic celebration provides a platform for up-and-coming, independent artists, while plotlines often explore liberal subject matter such as wealth redistribution, LGBT rights and abortion. But this year, the incredibly political lineup of films is not enough. Although climate change, immigration, ISIS, Syrian refugees and race issues will all be addressed on screen, participants still feel the need to protest.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Tatiana Siegel, “Many who will be on hand in Park City are discussing what type of anti-Trump events should take place.” Although the festival committee will not officially sponsor a protest, the organization noted its history of “creating a safe space for artists” and indicated willingness “to facilitate requests from outside groups that want to host demonstrations.”
Endgame Entertainment producer Jim Stern, a Democrat, intends to experience both Inauguration and Sundance events. He will definitely make it to Utah to watch the premiere of the film he financed – The Discovery – but he will also be shooting footage in DC. For the past six months, Stern has been working on an ethnographic documentary of the Trump supporter. Naturally, he will include scenes and interviews from the culminating swearing in ceremony on January 20.
Liz Garbus, the director of 2015 Sundance entrant What Happened, Miss Simone? will be forgoing the festivities this year to attend the January 21 Women’s March on Washington. Although her husband’s film company has six documentaries opening at this year’s festival, Garbus knows her priorities.
Siegel talked to other festival regulars about their plans, and although “nothing concrete” is settled, “it's safe to say a Park City resistance is being arranged,” she wrote.
The activist tendencies of the crowd come as little surprise. The vision of the Sundance Institute includes the goal of “leading to social change.” And since the organization received over $15 million in funding between 2000 and 2014 from liberal billionaire George Soros, the nature of that desired social change is clear to see.
