PARK CITY, Utah — Despite the California wildfires that have affected thousands connected to the entertainment industry, the Sundance Film Festival is moving forward with its planned 11-day schedule next week in Park City.
In a letter Monday to registrants from Southern California, the Sundance Institute’s CEO Amanda Kelso and festival director Eugene Hernandez wrote that, “we may mourn, but we also know it is important to carry on.”
Those who received the letter were also invited to share more about how they’ve been affected by the fires.
Michelle Satter, a founding director of the Sundance Institute and its artists programs, wrote on social media last week that she lost her home in the Palisades fire. Satter is among those being honored at the festival’s opening gala Jan. 24.
At least 24 people have died in the fires that have consumed much of Southern California, with many missing. Several major film events have been canceled or postponed due to the fires, including the Critics Choice Awards.
This year's event may be the last for the festival in Utah as organizers are close to determining its home in the coming years. Park City, Cincinnati and Boulder, Colo. are the three finalists vying for the festival, with an announcement of a winner scheduled for after this year's event.
