Dance of the Sun to the music of flurries
Intro
The year of 2024 has started as its own, unique kind of adventure. While there are many reasons to deep-dive into various related topics, time scarcity remains real. This blog is dedicated to one particularly magical January experience: Sundance film fest. My experience covers the week of Jan 17-22 in Park City, UT. The festival itself ran until Jan 28, and also had a satellite location in Salt Lake City, UT.
With my increased focus on the film industry since 2023, I’ve embarked on this journey to not only watch the films, but also network, explore the area, meet and learn from the industry leaders, and of course, create memories and relationship with potential future partners and collaborators.
All these points have been front and center, and I’ve had the best lodging experience with the BraveMaker crew. (I could go on and on here, but that requires a separate blog. Spoiler: reality exceeded my expectations).
Below are some of my reflections on this wondrous week - to keep in mind, and to also help others looking for answers. A separate blog with the film impressions coming soon.
Setup
This was a news to me until now: there are two locations for Sundance in Utah - Park City and Salt Lake City. While both have film screenings and panels, there are significant differences:
Park City is considered The Hub for networking, meetups, vendor-sponsored workshops, concerts, and parties. A lot of parties. These are not only RSVP events: anyone can throw a party at their condo/house and invite you ad-hoc. Some invites pop up the day of. Or, a few hours in advance. Each day can turn into night into day again.
Salt Lake City is good for film screenings. I haven’t ventured there, and this is as much as I know based on virtually any conversation on the subject. There are, of course, venues and entertainment hubs there, but “life” happens in Park City.
Fun fact: I didn’t know about Park City until it was too late. I bought a Salt Lake City festival pass with 10 film tickets included. When I learned that our group is staying in Park City, I had to urgently find someone to sell my SLC pass to. Sundance agreed to transfer my pass to someone I find, since it was my first time attending the fest. Since they don’t offer refunds or cancellations, this was as far as they would go. I spent a month looking for potential buyers, received a few scammy offers, and eventually sold my pass at 30% of the original price on Facebook. Having left Facebook years ago, I created an account a month prior to join a writers group - everything adds up in the end! 😂 Which left me with no other option as to go to Sundance without any pass at all, since the festival pass sales closed the day I sold mine.
Lodging
is definitely a factor to consider. If you’re from the San Francisco Bay or NYC, the festival prices won’t shock you that much. Otherwise, it might help to save up or prepare a budget for the entire duration. In addition to lodging, living costs can also be steep. Many venues offer snacks and drinks however, and some attendants leverage these options.
While the festival website and third-party travel apps offer various accommodations, it’s best to do your own research to find an option that suits your needs. Most of the venues, attractions, and parties in Park City are bound to Main street, so proximity to this area matters. Even if there are free shuttles between the venues, as well as ride-sharing services, weather conditions can hijack travel plans so it’s better to be centralized or plan ahead.
If you’re into skiing or other winter activities, more remote lodging locations would be perfectly suitable! They would also help avoid starry-eyed festival crowds.
Secrets
The truth is, I didn’t really need a pass. Really glad it worked out this way. Since my primary goal was networking and events anyway, I chose films ad-hoc based on availability. This allowed for extra flexibility without over-committing or making film choices before learning more about them.
With this, I’m sharing a few secrets on How to fest:
Unless you want a more “packaged” solution with a festival pass, it’s not really needed. The only benefit the pass provides is peace of mind of knowing you’ll get guaranteed access to the films you select in advance. You’ll still need to be in line for admission in time, as doors close 30 mins prior to the screening time.
the downside: you might change your mind, not have enough time to travel between the venues, or have a sudden change of plans.
you can still buy individual tickets for films the day of the screening though, or watch them online during the second week (if available).
In the beginning, I was a bit stressed about not having a pass but then, truly enjoyed it. Was able to watch 4 films in person in Park City, and 7 films online starting Jan 25.
There is a Waitlist option for each film, which opens the day of, 2 hours before the scheduled screening. Alarm is your best friend here.
The local insight is that numbers below 50 on the list usually make it through the door. This works especially in larger theaters.
I’ve signed up to a few films the minute Waitlist opened, and was immediately bumped to 50+. My choice was to avoid the drama and watch those films online.
For Waitlist, the recommendation is to get in line ~2 hours before the screening, which can be tough especially if waiting line is outdoors.
Conclusion
Is it worth it?
Absolutely
Would I go again?
100% Yes!
Even if nothing results from the experience immediately, the value of the connections made at the festival is infinite. It’s all about planting the seeds.
If the festival is moved to another city/state/modus operandi, Sundance will still remain special.
Gathering this knowledge and stacking up the insights is what will make me better prepared next time. I hope everyone reading this finds some valuable insights as well 🎊