Letters to the Editor: Salt Lake County mayor gives her take on why Sundance is departing Utah for Colorado

To the editor: Los Angeles and the Hollywood community overall will soon feel the effects of the Sundance Film Festival’s decision to move to Boulder, Colo. In the past few weeks, a number of storylines have emerged, placing blame anywhere from politics to finances, but it’s way more nuanced (“Of course Sundance is fleeing. Utah has become a hateful place,” April 4).

As one of the original founding staff members of the Sundance Film Festival, I know exactly where and how this story began. Sundance was born, not just as a film festival, but as a cultural force grounded in place. Robert Redford didn’t choose Utah because it was easy or obvious. He chose it because it was different. Because the power of Sundance was never just about the films — it was about the space it created for independent voices to emerge in a setting that challenged, inspired and transformed.

The real story is this: Sundance is facing financial headwinds, brought on by a shifting independent film industry and revenue losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. The new leadership team, instead of working with Utah’s public and private partners to rebuild a stronger future, chose to walk away.

As the current mayor of Salt Lake County, I proposed a summit — at the Sundance Resort itself — where we could meet as partners and determine how to evolve the festival, given the changing landscape. A gathering of local leaders, creative voices, and community partners, in a place built for dialogue and reflection. That offer was never accepted.

Additionally, financial offers from Salt Lake County and the state of Utah were also serious and substantial; proposed to increase funding, offer infrastructure and provided a clear path forward. It still wasn’t enough.

Let’s be honest about what happened here: The current Sundance leadership didn’t want to solve problems. They wanted to move on from them. Instead of working within a community that stood by the festival through decades of growth, they opted for a clean break — and used politics as the convenient excuse.

But politics are not the real story. If they were, Redford would never have planted his vision in Utah to begin with. A progressive himself, Redford understood that impact happens when you speak truth in hard places — not when you run from them. He used his platform to protect public lands, elevate marginalized voices, and push for change. Sundance became powerful because it operated in a place where that power meant something.

As a Democratic mayor in a conservative state, I don’t shy away from Utah’s challenges. I face them every day. But I also know that the presence of Sundance here made a real difference. It opened doors for underrepresented communities. It gave audiences access to new ideas and new perspectives. It planted seeds for change where it was needed most.

This is a loss for Utah. But it’s also a loss for Sundance. This exit leaves behind the environment that gave it its identity, but more importantly the people and the principles that gave it meaning. Sundance forgot its roots, the community that built it and the essence of what made it great in the first place; independent voices aren’t just needed in comfortable places — they’re needed in the places where they can actually make a difference.

Jenny Wilson, Salt Lake City

The writer is the mayor of Salt Lake County.