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PARK CITY — Robert Redford is speaking out, making some of his strongest statements to date on the future of the Sundance Film Festival. According to the Associated Press, Redford seems certain the festival's grown too big to manage.
"You have a couple of choices. You can go hard and say, 'We're going to stop it.' Say, 'That's the end. Let it go. Let someone else do it," Redford said in an AP article. "Or, you say, 'Well, if you want to keep it going, we can't keep it going the way things are.' "
Redford's even playing with the idea of splitting it up, showing feature films in January and documentaries in February. It's something that's causing the locals to feel a bit conflicted.
"I think our hidden gem has been discovered," said Park City resident Marcie Davis. She and her husband moved there 16 years ago and own the Java Cow, a coffee shop on Main Street.
"Well, when we first came here in '74 to ski, there was one traffic light," she said.
Davis and her husband moved to the mountains, seeking refuge from the bustle of New York City.
"We like the mountain lifestyle and the slowness of Park City, which isn't so slow anymore," she laughed.
Davis is a big fan of Robert Redford and said he's hardly hidden around here. In fact, she just saw him at a movie screening. She said he's a big reason for the town's faster pace.
"He's done an awful lot for this town," she said. "I think the Sundance Insititute has helped to put the town on the map. I think everyone enjoys it. It's great for the city. It's a great income producer."
Davis said she's seen a transformation in Sundance—a drastic change from its roots in small, independent films.
"More and more corporate sponsors have come, which of course Sundance needs," she said. "Everybody loves getting corporate sponsors and the money, but that sort of changes the nature of what happens."
Davis and her husband might own Java Cow, but this isn't where she spends most of her time. She readily admits making coffee isn't a skill of hers. She said Sundance keeps their cash register full, but her primary job is even more tied to the local economy. Davis is a realtor with Summit Sotheby's, which causes her to feel more than a little conflicted.
She loves what Sundance brings to her hometown, but can't help feeling a little nostalgic.
"It's a good thing that we're growing, and it's a sad thing that it's much busier than when we first came here," Davis said.
No matter what the future of Sundance brings, Davis believes her feelings may be similar to Redford's—sometimes, success is closely followed by loss.
"Nobody likes to see their dream change," she said, speculating on what's caused Redford to consider evaluating the festival's future. "I think it has grown so much that that might not be his dream these days."
At least for now, Davis said she thinks Park City's still able to maintain a balance between the crowds of Sundance and the town she fell in love with.
"We're not complaining," she said. "Our sleepy little town goes back to being just that when Sundance is over."
