Film and Media
By Lauren Damon
Most people don’t think about how film and media impact the culture in different places. However, Utah would certainly not be where it is at now if it wasn’t for this aspect. Sundance Film Festival held in Park City every year has been one of the bigger influencers on attracting people to Utah. Sundance Film Festival founded by Robert Redford in 1978 is a nonprofit organization that helps independent storytellers in film and media be able to feature their work. Although Sundance has become much more than your typical film festival, It became an opportunity to bring people into Utah where a large number of ski resorts are. Therefore, getting the word out that Utah has amazing snow and winter sports, this is why the film festival is held in January of every year, so the economy can get a boost.
Sundance has now become the perfect vacation where families can watch an assortment of different films, as well as, ski down the slopes of Utah’s “Greatest Snow on Earth”. This film festival has now grown to be the largest independent film festival in the United States, which is amazing for not only filmgoers but the economy as well. Sundance now brings in a huge income for Park City, from hotels to ski resorts to even the restaurants and local shops, there is no denying that this film festival has greatly impacted the Culture that is represented in Park City and Utah as a whole.
Lauren Damon
Hi, my name is Lauren Damon and I am a Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Major here at the University of Utah. I chose to be in Block U because I thought it would give me the perfect opportunity to connect with others in my major and have the same interests as me. I love being a part of this class because it gave me a community of people, which really helped with the transition into freshmen year.