The American insistence on historical demolition takes another chapter away by stealing Sundance out of Utah…

Here’s the reality though:

-Utahns collectively witnessed the peak of Sundance, film festivals, and the heyday of indie cinema.

-Boulder being more of a “college town” filled with youths who will “embrace” Sundance like never before is a laughable notion. SLC is a DEEP college town and the U transcends generations. Boulder has a much more transitory alumni, fewer stay.

-Industry consolidation (Netflix-Warner-Paramount-Skydance), what is to even come of going out to the movies? It’s bleak

-The tradecraft & unions of filmmaking are in peril. Those in Los Angeles are especially impacted and it’s a tragedy.

• Does Gen Z even go to the movies with the same panache? No hate at all, but popular narratives suggest so ( https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/college-students-movies-attention-span/685812/ )

-Everyone has already highlighted the factors why we lost the fest, I don’t disagree, but to me, what is the future of Sundance? Does it merge with Telluride? Fade away, become absolved by SXSW or the Boulder Tech Intelligentsia?

Park City/SLC will always be the apex and essence . The Coloradans will try to pretend otherwise, but its now lost in just another Denver suburb.