Author Archives: Jill Adler

38th Sundance Film Festival Off To A Rocky Start

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It may be Day Three but there’s still plenty of time to get in on the Sundance Film Festival game. Unlike the in-person experience where everything is sold out months in advance and people wait hours in a freezing-cold standby line, hoping package holders don’t show up for a particular screening, the online or “virtual” Sundance Film Fest is the ultimate version of “inclusive”. No matter where you live, your socio economic status or the company you keep, the only thing holding anyone back from watching a Sundance flick will be their tech savviness.

Only Buffers a Few Times

The complaints and drama abound regarding the 38th Annual Sundance Film Festival. In an effort to “do the right thing”, organizers killed the live part and went virtual without much notice. The technology was in place thanks to last year’s Covid chaos but visitors expecting to finally travel to Park City, Utah, for January had purchased ticket packages upwards of $750 for live screenings and events that would not happen. Sundance’s response to the request for refunds was to thank everyone for their donation; leaving people with only one option – rage on Facebook and dispute the charges with their credit card companies.

Then there was the automatic cancelling of everyone’s ticket selections (including thoses who only had online tickets) in order to transition to their online platform and forcing everyone to start anew. Because the live screenings moved to virtual, there was shuffling to be done and it wouldn’t be fair to make those with live tickets have to take the leftovers.

Another issue that was immediately apparent were the struggles older generations faced trying to link computers to smart TVs. Sundance developed a Festival app that, if you could understand the instructions, was fairly easy to download, connect to your account and stream all of your selections on Roku, FireTV, etc. Your movies sit on a screen of thumbnails and switch from “coming soon” to “renting” as soon as they hit their screening time. However, many took to Facebook to complain about not getting pin codes, not finding their films after the setup, or having their movie stop mid-play and getting kicked out of the app. It did happen once to me but I was able to immediately return to my film where it left off. Another bonus is the ability to pause to grab a snack or use the bathroom.

Taking Your Online Picks

If you’ve done it once, you can do it again. With my former selections in hand, I easily navigated to my first choices and selected them all over again. Thanks to increased bandwidth, only a handful of films are now sold out – like the three awesome movies I’ve seen so far (The Worst Person in the World, Call Jane, Fresh) and the Sundance team is holding out on the Best of Fest tickets until later in the week so those might be available to watch then. If you want to watch a Sundance film it’s entirely possible.

Single Ticket Prices For Sundance Films

It’s a pricey $20 ($15 for Utahns) to screen one Sundance film from your couch but invite five friends and it suddenly makes sense. Have them buy the cocktails, popcorn or pizza and it’s a better deal than the theater. The only differences between a Premiere ticket and a second screening ticket is that you have a shorter window to watch your movie (three-hour window vs. 24-hour window) and the chance to participate in a 30-minute live Q and A after the premiere. But because these live chats can only be viewed on a computer and, let’s be real, we all would rather toss to a 55″, you’re better off going for the second screening tickets where you have more flexibility to see the movie and you can watch the replay of the Q and A for free later if you want. For example, I watched Call Jane and a few hours later, I opened up my computer, surfed to the film description and clicked “watch the Q and A replay”. BTW, these recorded Q&As are available to all and not just ticket holders.

You can also purchase a Day Pass, $75, and watch movies until your brain explodes or the day ends; whichever comes first. The Explorer Pass ($25) will get you access to the short films, the New Frontier and three of the Indie Series programs.

See Sundance Films In Theaters

Twenty cities including Salt Lake City are planning in-person ‘satellite’ screenings. If you want a pseudo Sundance experience check out this list of live events to see if there’s a theater near you.

What’s Free At the Sundance Film Festival

There are so many ways to check in with Sundance, the movies and the filmmakers for free. Navigate here to see what’s on tap for any particular day. Sundance does a How to Fest Daily with Festival Director Tabitha Jackson at 10 a.m. MST presented by Acura. There are Daily Recap Videos presented by Adobe, and the highlights of what happened the day before all on Sundance’s YouTube Channel. In case you missed it, be sure to watch the Robert Redford 2022 Festival Welcome.

International Pro Skier Tryouts

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Throwing it back to the days of neon, skinny skis and Hot Dog, Look Bindings + Pit Viper put together a fun, wild short featuring the fictional International Pro Skier Tryouts. This could be a legit thing if the current ski landscape wasn’t filled with safety Karens and liability questions. Ah, the good old days!

Who remembers the Chinese Downhill? This competition will come down to the fastest, the highest, the most extreme lines ever shred by Spandex-clad skiers on straight skis. I’m still impressed by the gal jumping rope in ski boots! It’s Sander Badley vs. Turbo at the International Pro Skier Tryouts. Who will finish with all the glory?

Oh, and it was filmed at Snowbird!

Family Friendly

2022 Sundance Film Festival Goes Virtual and Cancels “Hybrid” Event

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2022 Sundance Film Festival: Update

The Sundance Institute announced today that they’re caving to the Omicron variant.

“The 2022 Sundance Film Festival’s in-person Utah elements will be moving online this year. While we’re disappointed to not provide the full hybrid experience and gather in-person as intended, audiences this year will still experience the magic and energy of our Festival with bold new films and XR work, the discovery of new storytellers, direct encounters with artists, and an innovative globally accessible social platform and gallery space.”

The Institute had hoped to bring their annual Sundance Film Festival back to an in-person experience, but the recent record spread of the Covid-19 virus in Park City and beyond forced their hand. When you think about it, it’s not really that thousands of attendees might get sick; it’s that staff, volunteers and resources would fall victim. Look at what happened this Christmas- hundreds of employees got sick and stayed home leaving the resorts and support services to operate at half-capacity, obscene liftlines, limited terrain, no dining availability, cancelled flights and all-around pissed-off guests. Can you imagine the lines at the theaters and venues if half the volunteer staff went missing?

No Hybrid 2022 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance had been looking forward to the first fully hybrid 2022 Sundance Film Festival (and I was too! Watching movies from my couch but hitting the speaker series and parties that were cancelled last year). However, Omicron’s high transmissibility rates “is pushing the limits of health safety, travel and other infrastructures across the country. We do not believe it is safe nor feasible to gather thousands of artists, audiences, employees, volunteers, and partners from around the world, for an eleven-day festival while overwhelmed communities are already struggling to provide essential services.”

The Festival is the most important fundraising tool the Sundance Institute has for underwriting the year-round artist support labs so they’re not about to go silent for a year. Therefore in two weeks, audiences will gather online starting Jan. 20, 2022 as promised. Screening schedules are being adjusted to add those that would have only premiered in person. I’m totally psyched for the entire Animation Program to be online! Seven “satellite partners” will also host screenings for locals from January 28-30. As previously announced, single tickets will go on sale January 13 (January 12 for the membership pre-sale) at 10 a.m. MST.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this is a good call. The Christmas period had a terrible impact on our town. Sure, the hotels and CEOs at Vail Resorts were rejoicing but locals and guests struggled. Sundance brings nearly 50 thousand people to town. Egads! The bright side of this is that if you are thinking about a Park City ski vacation, get your asses out here! Lodging will be clearance sale cheap and the resorts and restaurants empty. And I’m now freed up for more private lessons. 😉

Sundance

Sundance Film Festival To Give Covid Boosters To Attendees

Jill Adler Leave a comment

While we all anxiously wait for the post-holiday Covid numbers to confirm what we all expect, Sundance Film Festival organizers. already foreseeing another Super Spreader sitch, plan to not only require Covid boosters but will actually offer shots to eligible attendees, according to an exclusive (unofficial) report in Variety.

In the wake of Hollywood dropouts like the annual Palm Springs Film Festival, the film academy’s annual Governors Awards and the Critics Choice Awards, Sundance is trepidatiously hanging on. The showcase for independent filmmakers went virtual for 2021 but is back in hybrid form for 2022; online for couch surfers and in-person for __?____, January 20 to 30.

COVID-19 cases have hit record rates in Utah’s Summit County. According to the local health department, on Monday there were 136 new cases; the largest single-day total since the start of the pandemic. The good news is that hospitalizations have not increased. The bad news is that people are getting scared again- that things will shut down, flights will be cancelled, Covid restrictions will become restrictive. But Sundance Institute (and Park City) needs Sundance FF to emerge.

Sundance plans to use PandemSafe to verify proof of vaccination. Individuals will upload their vaccination card into the PandemSafe portal via an email they receive after purchasing tickets. The buyer then gets a QR code to show for a wristband but if guests don’t want to be tracked in a third-party system, they can just bring their vax card to a hub to get a wristband. However, QR codes will be accepted at the theaters but not vaccine cards.

The vaccine verification hubs will also offer free COVID-19 PCR and rapid tests to accommodate the requirement that all employees, volunteers, and onsite contractors be tested at check-in and mid-way through the festival. Attendees too must pop in for testing if they visit anything other than screenings such as private events, Q&As, seminars and press lines.

Current hubs:

Kearns Bonanza Corner (Old Maverick Station)

January 17 – January 30 from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM MST

Miners Hospital

January 20 – January 25 from 2:00 PM – 11:00 PM MST
January 26 – January 30 from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM MST

Galleria Parking Lot off of Main Street in Park City

January 17 – January 30 from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM MST

Jill Adler's Personal Blog

The Mountain Lover’s Gift Guide

Jill Adler Leave a comment

Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? You’ve got a new pile of giftcards ready to walk on over to Amazon and REI? Here is the gift guide for your second chance at the present you wished Santa had delivered:

KEEN Howser Wrap Slipper

Talk about bang for your buck. The Slipper is actually an indoor/outdoor shoe that is just as functional around the campfire as it is driving home after an epic day on the mountain. The warm, fleece lining, removable PU insole for cush and durable, rubber outsole make the perfect combo for winter wear … so long as you don’t need a ton of traction. It’s great with or without socks.

Worn Socks

There’s honestly nothing more satisfying to a skier (aside from untracked powder) than a brand-new pair of ski socks. Worn’s high-performing, long-lasting, Enhanced Ski is designed for all climates and conditions. They use a patent-pending organic Merino called Arrowool that offers 4x the life, 2x the performance and ¼ of the waste compared to most cotton-based socks. The medium padding hugs your foot without bunching or feeling clammy after an all-day session on the hill. The bonus is that with each wash it’s like you’re putting on a brand-new pair of socks all over again.

Knockaround Slingshots

You can spend $400 on a pair of bougie goggles or you can make the smart move and get the Slingshots. For $70 or less you can have a fun, helmet compatible non-fogging goggle that comes with two easily swappable magnetic, anti-fog lenses with UV400 protection. I’ve been wearing mine for the past two seasons and they’ve yet to let me down!

Wildhorn Drift Helmet and Alta drop in Bluetooth Headphones

If you are at all concerned about stuffing your head in a newer local brand (Wildhorn is based in Utah) then trust the pros. The Drift Snow Helmet is an official product of the US Ski and Snowboard teams! Of course helmets are super personal and fit depends on the shape of your head but the lightweight, well-vented lid fits me well. It also has an adjustable dial in back for fine tuning and is compatible with most audio pucks- although you’ll want to use their Alta drop ins. Unlike my Skullcandys, these have lasted three seasons and are user friendly- left press to connect, power on/off and answer calls; right side buttons control volume and song choice. The pucks charge with a standard micro USB, connect to your phone via Bluetooth 5.0 for hands-free calling, texting and music listening, they have a 10+ hour battery life and are water, sweat, and cold resistant with IP45 rating.

Gordini Polar Gloves

There’s no denying that mittens are double the warmth for your digits but when you want dexterity and warmth you gotta love these 750-fill DownTek gloves. The waterproof down is on the back of the hands while there’s Megaloft synthetic insulation in the palm. There’s also a waterproof, windproof, breathable membrane between the four-way stretch softshell and the insulation so your hands stay warm and dry no matter how stormy it gets.

Vssl Flask

Coala Tree Camper Jacket

I was going to write about this awesome jacket in the fall but then our fall turned to winter in a blink. Still, the Camper can be worn and loved year round; on warmer days in the 40s or as a midlayer under a ski jacket when temps dip below. The compactible DuPont Comfort Max Fiberfill insulation provides 4-5 times more insulation than other similar fibers, keeps its warmth even when wet, and even has enough room underneath for a sweater or fleece without making you look like the Stay Puff man. You’ll love all the pockets (three on the outside and three inside), the internal stuff pocket turns the jacket into a travel pillow. Did I mention that Coala Tree is another awesome Utah brand?

Coalatree 2021 Gift Guide

Gear

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