OCR Text |
Show C-1 B-1 PARKITE AT CENTER OF SLAMDANCE OPENER SUNDANCE SLATE, A-5 FIND US ON FACEBOOK Follow the latest. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ parkrecord for up-to-date news. YOUTH SKATER LEADS FROM THE FRONT COLUMNS, A-8 CHECK OUT FILMS HITTING THE FEST LEGALIZE BEING AN ADULT, AMY ROBERTS SAYS Park Record. The PA R K C I T Y, U TA H Serving Summit County since 1880 | W W W. PA R K R E C O R D . C O M Vol. 139 | No. 101 Wed/Thurs/Fri, January 22-24, 2020 $1.00 Showtime for traffic-fighting efforts in city Volunteers, both new and returning, are critical to film festival’s success Temporary one-way routes will debut as City Hall aims to limit impact of film festival crowds JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO It is showtime for City Hall’s efforts to reduce the impact of the Sundance Film Festival crowds on Park City, particularly on Old Town. As the festival opens on Thursday, officials have designed a traffic operations plan that is more aggressive than many of those that were drafted for previous years. There has been special attention given to the Main Street core and surrounding Old Town, where many of the problems have been pronounced over the years. Traffic and parking issues have long been prevalent in the tightly packed neighborhood during Sundance, but many have seen an uptick in problems during recent festivals. One of the key strategies adopted for the festival in 2020 involves turning several streets into one-way routes during Sundance. It is among the most dramatic traffic-fighting measures ever undertaken by City Hall for the festival. The stretch of Park Avenue between the Deer Valley Drive and Heber Avenue intersections will be turned into a one-way road in the northbound, or outbound, direction. The one-way restriction starts on Thursday, the opening day of Sundance, and extends until Saturday, Feb. 1, which is the day before Sundance ends. Access passes distributed by City Hall to residents and businesses impacted by the restriction will allow two-way traffic south of the 15th Street intersection. The Park City Police Department has the ability to lengthen or shorten the hours when access passes will be needed based on traffic conditions. Park Avenue between the two intersections is a heavily traveled street and one of the primary routes to Main Street and Old Town. Restricting the inbound traffic is expected to push those drivers onto GRAPHIC BY LOUISE MOHORN Volunteers distribute tickets during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record his year’s Sundance Film Festival, which will run from Thursday through Feb. 2, boasts multiple screenings of more than 118 feature films in various venues, the weeklong ASCAP Music Cafe, the BMI Snowball music showcase and dozens of panel discussions with filmmakers, actors and other film-industry insiders. To ensure things run smoothly for the more than 122,000 people who are expected to attend the festival, the Sundance Institute relies on more than 2,200 volunteers each year, according to media relations senior manager Jason Berger. Volunteers, including 104 from 24 foreign T 2,254 countries, help with all aspects of the festival, including but not limited to managing lines at the box office and theaters, assisting new and returning filmmakers, chauffeuring jury members, running venues and even snow removal, Berger said. “(They help) with almost anything at the festival,” he said. To understand what entices a volunteer to participate, and what the experience is like on the ground in Park City, The Park Record spoke with two of this year’s volunteers, one a first-timer and the other a returning Sundance veteran. Please see Sundance, A-6 TOTAL VOLUNTEERS 24 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED Duties include: Ushering guests, managing lines, operating venues, setup/take down Source: Sundance Institute Please see One-way roads, A-2 Film takes Boy Scouts, LDS Church to task over abuse Thousands of victims have come forward, alleging they were molested by leaders NAN CHALAT NOAKER Park Record contributor This week, while the spotlights shine brightly on red carpets in Park City and Salt Lake City, one filmmaker is anticipating attention of a darker sort. During the Sundance Film Festival, Brian Knappenberger’s documentary “Church and the Fourth Estate” will screen just 3 miles from the epicenter of his searing expose about the Boy Scouts’ decades-long failure to address child sex abuse among its ranks and allegations that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was complicit in covering up thousands of victim reports. The Sundance selection will screen at the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City on Feb. 1, just a few blocks from the church’s global headquarters at Temple Square. But Knappenberger says he is prepared to handle the fallout. The director is a Sundance and Slamdance veteran whose self-defined specialty is speaking truth to power — especially when conflicts involve powerful billionaires trying to intimidate investigative reporters. Knappenberger first displayed his keen ability to explore the ragged boundaries of social change and new technology in his Slamdance documenta- 3 sections • 28 pages Classifieds .............................. C-7 Events Calendar ..................... C-6 Restaurant Guide.................... B-6 Scoreboard ............................. B-5 COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE | PHOTO BY SEAN MICHAEL SMITH The Sundance Film Festival documentary “Church and The Fourth Estate” highlights an Idaho Boy Scout who comes forward about being molested by a troop leader, unleashing a torrent of allegations about widespread sex abuse in the organization and cover-ups involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ry “We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists.” He reappeared on the Sundance slate in 2014 with “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz,” about the controversial computer programmer’s efforts to defy attempts to limit public access to the internet, his arrest and eventual suicide. In 2016, Knappenberger’s film “Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press” began as a tale about the incendiary trial, financed by arch-conservative Peter Thiel, that silenced the website Gawker. But as attacks on the media engulfed the presidential election that year, he enlarged the project to include several examples of well-financed blitzes on the free press. When casting that net, Knappenberger came across an example in Idaho that fit the mold perfectly. An Idaho billionaire had purchased a series VISITOR GUIDE Children small and tall are invited to story time at Park City Ice Arena COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE | PHOTO BY TYLER CURTIS “Church and the Fourth Estate” is director Brian Knappenberger’s third Sundance documentary all of which have highlighted media efforts to expose attempts at censorship by powerful forces. of full-page newspaper ads to discredit one of its reporters. But due to the roller coaster ride that ended Please see Abuse, A-6 Park City Library will present Small and Tall Story Time at 10:30 a.m. on Friday at the Park City Ice Arena, 600 Gillmor Way. The event, for ages 2 1/2 to 6, will feature a story time, skating lessons and practice time. For information and registration, call 435-615-5707. |