‘Frame by Frame’ event celebrates local artists as Sundance Film Festival wraps
Feb 2, 2025, 9:07 AM | Updated: 9:10 am
While Utah will host the festival again in 2026, the decision for the 2027 location is still forthcoming.
Saturday night, festival attendees and locals celebrated with ‘Frame by Frame,’ a fun event held on Floral Street in downtown Salt Lake City.
“As movies are made frame by frame, we are trying to highlight all of the arts in different ways and different activities around here,” said Britney Helmers, director of The Blocks Arts District and organizer of ‘Frame by Frame.’
“There’s so much creativity in Salt Lake and in Utah in general. It’s fun to show it off,” Virginia Pearce, Utah Film Commission director, said.
The free event featured local DJs and art installations, like a phone booth called, “Great Salt Lake Hopeline,” created by Nick Carpenter, Han Calder, and Ben Doxey.
“The idea is you come up here and you get to connect with the lake, like call and listen to sounds that are out there, hear other people’s experiences,” Carpenter said. “We’re such a mountain-facing people, and I think because the Great Salt Lake is in this sort of dire condition, we need to become a lake-facing people.”
Helmers said ‘Frame by Frame’ was a team effort, with help from the Utah Film Commission, Visit Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, the Fice Gallery, and the Sundance Film Festival.
“It’s so important for Sundance to see what Salt Lake City is all about and how we highlight our local community,” Helmers said.
And while the future of the festival in Utah remains uncertain, Utahns are hoping it stays in the Beehive State.
“It’s an integral part of Utah in Park City, so it would be really sad to see it go away,” Giana Petrichella, Salt Lake City resident, said. “I hope they reconsider and think about what it would do to our economy and our tourism.”
But one thing is for sure — the energy of the arts community will remain strong.
“We have plenty of just beautiful artists and creatives here that I don’t think any of that’s going away, even if Sundance leaves,” Carpenter said.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival runs through Sunday, Feb. 2.
The decision on whether Utah will continue to host the festival in 2027 — and beyond — is expected to be made sometime this spring.