Sundance 2009: To Boycott or Not to Boycott

by Andre Soares | | 4 Comments     

 

Sundance Film Festival 2009

 

David Poland at Movie City News:

"Movie City News will spend a lot of money in Park City to cover Sundance this year. I will be happy to pledge, right now, that we will not spend a dime that money in businesses that were financial supporters of California’s Prop 8.

"So… activists… make that list. Make it honestly. Don’t tell me all Mormons are evil or that the entire state is off limits. But if a local gas station company is owned by a Prop 8 funder… we will fill up elsewhere. If a local restaurant or grocery or ski shop or taxi service… anything like that… if the owner sent money to California to strip gay Californians of their rights… I will be honored to not support that person with my business and to be as loud as I can about making that choice."

***

Via indieWIRE:

“‘Boycott Sundance because Mormons live in Utah?’ asked filmmaker Allison Anders today, responding via Facebook, ‘How absurd — I am showing my students Safe today by Todd Haynes and in my lecture will talk about how groundbreaking it was that Poison was at the festival even before the "Class of ‘92" — and in that class of ‘92 was included in the competition of 12, Greg Araki’s film The Long Weekend (O’ Despair) (one of the earliest indies to deal with AIDS) , and Tom Kalin’s Swoon. Sundance was for decades one of the tiny few hands that fed gay filmmakers, women filmmakers, browns, blacks, reds and everyone underrepresented on the screen, and it continues to be that for all of us. If people continue to misplace their rage over Prop 8 passing, they will change not one thing and none of us who supported the No on Prop 8 vote wants to see that happen.’”

***

Mario Ruiz in The Huffington Post:

"Gay people are fed up and have learned a thing or two about mobilizing themselves — and not just for angry rallies. Some pro-Proposition 8 folks may come to regret their not so private support of hate. And were you thinking about skiing in Utah this year? Hmmm, Colorado’s looking pretty appealing these days."

***

It’s funny that Ruiz mentions Colorado as a "pretty appealing" place. Not that long ago — well, in the early ’90s — Barbra Streisand was suggesting a boycott of the state following passage of anti-gay legislation.

“There are plenty of us who love the mountains and rivers of that beautiful state," Streisand told the crowd at an AIDS Project Los Angeles benefit in 1992, "but we must now say clearly that the moral climate there is no longer acceptable, and if we’re asked to, we must refuse to play where they discriminate.”

Streisand ended up taking quite a bit of flak for her stance because cities such as Denver, Aspen, and Boulder are "liberal" — or at least what passes for liberal in most people’s heads — and they would suffer from a tourism boycott as much as (or rather, more than) towns and counties ruled by anti-gay right-wing Christians whom no one wanted to go visit anyway. (The anti-gay law, named Amendment 2, was later declared unconstitutional.)

Steve Sandvoss, Wes Ramsey in Latter Days

Curiously, I learned about the suggested boycott of all things Utah because of that state’s large Mormon population just this morning, shortly after I deleted a comment on my Latter Days (above, with Steve Sandvoss and Wes Ramsey) post of a few days ago. In the comment, the author berated me for stating that gays were being discriminated by supporters of the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 (especially the Mormon Church), while asserting that society would go under if gay people gained the right to marry one another. Even more rationally, the writer compared the legalization of same-sex marriages to the legal recognition of bestiality and child molestation. (The last time the Alternative Film Guide was swamped with vicious, bigoted comments was when I posted an article attacking the anti-Muslim short Fitna.)

I don’t know if the person who sent the aforementioned comment is a Mormon. But I do know that anti-Mormon bigotry is just as unethical as anti-gay bigotry or bigotry of any kind. In fact, there were many Mormons who fought against Prop. 8; and to boycott Sundance — as "liberal" a festival as can be — and the whole state of Utah would harm lots of people who believe in equal rights for all and/or who had absolutely nothing to do with the passing of Prop. 8.

On the other hand, Sundance organizers should allay festivalgoers’ concerns in regard to who’ll benefit economically from the eleven-day party. Those who supported Prop. 8 — regardless of their religion, if any — should not be included among the beneficiaries of the financial windfall that will blow into Park City come next January.

See also a The Advocate article on the possibility of pushing forward pro-gay rights legislation in Utah.

 

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by Andre Soares | November 11, 2008 | Filed Under Film Festivals, Gay & Lesbian, Politics 

Comments

4 Responses to “Sundance 2009: To Boycott or Not to Boycott”

  1. libhomo on November 16th, 2008 6:35 am

    There is no possible way to hold a major event in Utah without financing the Mormon Church’s crusades to promote discrimination and violence against women, against people of color, and against queers. The decision of Sundance to stay in the Hate State was viciously bigoted.

    I have no reasonable alternative but to block the Sundance Channel on my cable as long as the festival promotes discrimination and violence against people like me by staying in Utah.

  2. Joe Donaldson on November 18th, 2008 3:54 pm

    I don’t agree with the commenter that we should boycott Sundance because it has opted to remain in Utah. It’s not like they could simply pack up and go just two months or so before the festival begins.
    But I must add that I’m VERY upset that Sundance organizers have decided to have screenings at Cinemark theaters, whose CEO gave a lot of $$$$ to the Yes on 8 bigotry campaign.

  3. Wolf on November 23rd, 2008 8:14 am

    Well it sort of Sucks to be Sundance. But it also sort of sucks that they have not come out with an ofical statement or strance in this and are still showing movies at the CineMark Theatre. This is NOT just about Gay Marriage anymore. This ia bout opression, equal rights, and the seperation of church and state. Andre and MovieCity it will be rather hard to avoid not dime that money in businesses that were financial supporters. Also ALL Mormons must give 10 percent of their INCOME to the Church which in turns uses it for what they deem fit. So basically all Mormons funded it.

    But getting back to the businesses. Thats treads a very fine line. Marriott Hotels which is owned by a Mormon and more specifically The Huntington Group Huntington Hotel Group which is comprised of numerous companies owned and controlled by Brent Andrus where Sundance is Headquartering in Park City. Mr. Andrus gave $20,000 to YES on Prop 8. And where did that money come from but Profits from his hotels. And then Sundance Headquarters out of them and actually on their website refers people to them who are looking for lodging.

    Obviously logistically it would be a NIGHTMARE to move Sundance at this time. BUT peopele and porganizations need to stand up and issue statements at least.

  4. Andre Soares on November 28th, 2008 1:16 am

    Can’t say I disagree with you, Wolf.

    It is a very fine line, indeed. It’d be difficult — though perhaps not undoable — to avoid pro-Prop. 8 businesses while at Park City.

    One would have to consider the benefits of the liberal, inclusive Sundance Fest against the possibility (probability?) of financially assisting businesses owned and/or operated by religious bigots.

    Personally, I’d still say that Sundance is worth it — at least this year, considering how close the election was to the festival.

    Now, I fully agree that Sundance fest organizers should have come up with a clear statement about their position on the matter.

    And finally, I probably should reiterate my view that even if the Mormon Church itself is bigoted — like so many other religious institutions around the globe — not every Mormon is a bigot and that discrimination of *any* kind, whether anti-gay or anti-Mormon, is unethical.

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