Another fabulous Sundance Film Festival has come to a close. This year’s festival again brought thousands of visitors to our area, and of course, plenty of fantastic films. This is the time of year when the glitterati, celebrities, and others come to our little town to revel in the atmosphere that surrounds the independent film world.

 

Activism Abounds

During this year’s festival, we saw plenty of activism come to the forefront. The Respect Rally gathered participants in City Park on January 20. This event was a follow-up to the Women’s March on Main that during the 2017 festival, which brought thousands of marchers to Main Street. While the city was experiencing a heavy snowstorm, it didn’t stop participants from gathering. The rally saw speakers such as Jane Fonda and Gloria Allred fire up the crowds to show support for the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements and to protest certain Trump policies.

 

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

While many movie stars and celebrities strolled the streets, another type of noteworthy attendance was made: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made an appearance at the festival and touched on her experiences with sexual misconduct and her feelings about the #MeToo movement. Her appearance at the festival was in conjunction of the premiere of “RBG,” a CNN-produced documentary about her life.

 

And Then There Are the Awards…

The festival awards ceremony is the highly anticipated pinnacle of the festival, as the winners of several categories are announced. There are actually four competition categories, and this year, each category’s directing prize went to a woman. The Grand Jury Prizes-Sundance Film Festival‘s highest honors-went to the following films:

” Desiree Akhavan’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (US Dramatic)
” Derek Doneen’s “Kailash” (U.S. Documentary)
” Tolga Karaçelik’s “Butterflies” (World Cinema Dramatic)
” Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Sons” (World Cinema Documentary)

 

Other award winners included:

” U.S. Dramatic Directing Award: Sara Colangelo, “The Kindergarten Teacher”s
” U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting: Benjamin Dickey, “Blaze”
” U.S. Documentary Directing Award: Alexandria Bombach, “On Her Shoulders”

As we celebrate another fantastic festival experience, we invite you to come out and visit Park City. There’s the upcoming Presidents’ Day holiday, which is a wonderful time to visit with the projected new snow and plenty of events and happenings!

Check out our specials for this great time of year, and of course, feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our vacation rental properties! We look forward to seeing you soon!
 

Stars Shine Bright in Park City, Utah

Who says you have to go to Hollywood, California to spot celebrities? In fact, the star-gazing is much brighter in the snow-covered mountains of Utah. If you were at the just wrapped Sundance Film Festival in Park City, you’d know that A-listers Jessica Alba, Alicia Keys, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Hudson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to name a few, were onsite and on center stage.

 

Celebrities Take on New Roles at Sundance Film Festival

Perhaps Keys is singing a new tune, as she has recently taken on the executive producer role in Jennifer Hudson’s newest movie, “The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete.” Jessica Alba took on the big screen in the premiere of “A.C.O.D” while Joseph Gordon-Levitt made his directing debut with the movie “Don Jon’s Addiction” and Ashton Kutcher channeled Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the film “jOBS.”

It’s no surprise that Kutcher was selected to play Jobs, as he is well-known in Silicon Valley social network circles, and, added Kutcher, Jobs was “my hero.”

 

Nor Cal Film Brings Home Grand Jury Prize

In a nod to Northern California, “Fruitvale,” a drama based on the true story of Oscar Grant, shot to death at an Oakland BART station, brought home the grand jury Prize, as well as the audience award for U.S. dramatic film. “Fruitvale” is USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate Ryan Coogler’s first feature-length film and stars Michael B. Jordan. Director and screenwriter, Ryan Coogler is 26 years old.

Steve Hoover’s “Blood Brother” won the grand jury Prize for U.S. documentary; a film about his best friend who helps children with HIV in India. The movie also won the U.S. documentary Audience Award.

Did you know that the Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent cinema festival in the country? What were your favorite movies from this year’s festival?

For dates and more information on the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, visit http://www.sundance.org/festival.

Nancy D. Brown is a travel writer whose work has appeared online and in newspapers and magazines nationwide. An avid equestrian, she publishes writinghorseback.com and the What a Trip blog, Nancydbrown.com. When not traveling, she lives with her family near San Francisco, California. Follow her on Twitter @Nancydbrown.

 

About Nancy D. Brown

is a travel writer whose work has appeared online and in newspapers and magazines nationwide. An avid equestrian, she publishes writinghorseback.com and the What a Trip blog, Nancydbrown.com. When not traveling, she lives with her family near San Francisco, California. Follow her on Twitter @Nancydbrown.