The Great Sundance Boycott: Fact or Fiction?
February 4th, 2009
Media attention towards Proposition 8 wanes, but tensions among many still run high
by Jacob Hodgen
Part three in our ongoing series, Caught in the Crosshairs of Proposition 8.
Part One:
Angry
Activists Target Utah Economy: Should We Be Worried?
Part Two: Exploring the
Emotional Consequences of Proposition 8
Part Three: The Great Sundance
Boycott: Facts and Myths
Has enough time already passed to temper the wrath of activists towards Utah and the LDS church? At a time when the country is distracted by a debilitating recession, a major Israeli ground campaign in Gaza, and the details of a controversial stimulus package, Proposition 8 has seemingly slid off the front page of America's focus.
But that does not mean it has been forgotten. Perhaps one litmus test to determine the current state of the nation's anxiety towards Utah is to gauge the success of the threatened boycott against the Sundance Film Festival. Were its numbers actually decreased by the alleged nationwide boycott? Well, that depends on who you ask.
Robert Redford assured sponsors that "art will find a way" and strategically provided for contained avenues protest. For example, some activists expressed concern over Park City's Holiday Village theater, which is owned by Cinemark, but Sundance planners made it so that it was at no time the sole venue for any movie. That way people who wanted to protest Cinemark's chief Alan Stock, who made large contributions to the Proposition 8 campaign, could assuage their consciences without skipping out on the entire festival.
Redford himself reportedly found it particularly ironic that a film festival founded on the prospect of sharing the diversity of film might be the subject of a gay-rights boycott. "I think to try to target Sundance is self-defeating," he said. "Diversity is what we do. We've been there giving full freedom of voice to all kinds for years."
Early reports indicated ticket sales for the Sundance Film Festival were strong, which many attributed to locals who are still eager for their fix of artsy, star-powered culture. However, Park City hotel and condo rentals were noticeably down this year. One attendee commented that, "It does feel slower, and talking to people I'm not sure if it's the economy, people boycotting or what." The latest reports now indicate that attendance over all was down from recent years, but with the current financial crises, the precise cause of this is hard to pin down.
Gregg Araki is film director specializing in New Queer Cinema and a Sundance veteran. Though opposed to Proposition 8, he was also strongly against a boycott of Sundance: "a boycott would end up being a profound disservice to the gay civil rights movement as a whole. I don't think anyone can deny that visibility is a crucial aspect of our struggle for equality. And Sundance, with its mission to champion diversity, has always been especially supportive of LGBT films and filmmakers."
Beyond Sundance, however, talk surrounding the Propostion 8
controversy is also yet to die out.
A group of Proposition 8 supporters have recently filed a lawsuit
that would bar any record of their campaign donations from being
available to the public. The more than slightly ironic suit insists
that they have the right to privacy and now demands government
protection against the harassment and threats they are receiving from
their political opponents.
Also, new research
suggests that the Catholic fraternity of the Knights of Columbus may
have donated more to the Proposition 8 campaign than the LDS church.
This conflicts with another recent report
that the LDS church in fact contributed nearly 100 times more money to
the Proposition 8 campaign than the $2,078 they originally reported. As
a result of an investigation by California's Fair Political Practices
Commission, the LDS church allegedly now claims to spending nearly
$188,000 on the campaign. This new figure includes, among other things,
$96,849 in compensation for "staff time" and $26,000 in audio-visual
production costs and travel expenses for church officials. If the
California Commission finds the LDS guilty of any breach of state law,
it may be fined up to $5,000 per violation
And lastly, though certainly not least, investigations continue into
what will most likely be considered as hate crimes against members of
the LDS church. Federal officials are still gathering information about
the suspicious white
powder mailed to two LDS temples and the numerous church buildings
across the country vandalized in retaliation for Proposition 8's
passage.
The Sherrif's office in Arapahoe County, Colorado has called in the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to aid in the
investigation of a Book of Mormon that was burned outside of a
church. An LDS spokesman for the church in Colorado claimed they,
"don't know what the motive is," and are "deeply concerned" and
"saddened" by the event.
When will the drama surrounding Proposition 8 end? Based on recent headlines, it does not appear to be anytime soon.
Photo by qbac07
