Volunteers sought for the Sundance Film Festival, where ‘magical connections’ happen

ST. GEORGE — After a two-year pause of in-person activities, volunteers for the Sundance Film Festival are sought for Jan. 2023. The festival is returning with in-person films and events from Jan. 19-29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, and at the Sundance Resort. 

“It is truly something very unique and special where you can meet people from all over the world,” Brian Marquez, who serves as the senior manager of talent for the Sundance Institute, told St. George News. “You get to experience these films with people in person. It’s a very different form of connection and getting to know people.” 

Applications will be accepted online until Jan. 11, 2023. But he cautions that housing can fill up fast, so potential volunteers are encouraged to get their applications in quickly. 

The festival requests volunteers to assist with online or in-person roles at the largest independent film festival in the country. They expect about 1,600 volunteers from the U.S. and worldwide, Marquez said, adding that everybody’s passionate about independent storytelling.

“There’s a magical connection where everybody’s there for the same thing and wants to support each other,” he said. “We have lifelong friends made from our volunteer community.”

The Sundance Film Festival screening and Q&A of “Blaze,” directed by Ethan Hawke, Park City, Utah, unspecified date | Photo courtesy of Bob Giovanelli, St. George News

He said experiencing films together for the first time and listening to the Q&As with the film’s directors and actors that follow are memorable.

“One of the reasons I love working with the volunteer program so much is being able to see those moments from year to year,'” Marquez said. 

Sundance 2023 will be his seventh festival, and he has become good friends with many volunteers who return yearly. 

“There’s that shared passion about films. There’s nothing quite like getting a bunch of people together who may have never even met before,” he said. “But you all prepare for the same thing. And the kind of connections you make from Sundance can last a lifetime.”

Marquez said some of the perks volunteers receive include seeing films, branded festival SWAG, meals, and being a part of a passionate and creative community. Some housing stipends also are available.

One of the veteran volunteers, Bob Giovanelli, said in an email to St. George News that he likes the fresh mountain air in Park City. It’s a nice change from his New York City/Long Island home. 

“Volunteering at Sundance is like a working vacation and the snowy mountains are a nice backdrop to the long hours we do,” Giovanelli said.

Giovanelli has worked at Sundance for the last 23 years. He began as a crowd liaison volunteer at the Egyptian Theater for five years, working the sidewalks and the alleyway. Then for two years, he was the outside assistant manager at the Park City Library. 

“But I missed the Main Street hustle and bustle. Looking for something new, the Volunteer Department of Sundance offered me the management at one of the Holiday Village Industry venues,” Giovanelli said. “That was interesting, as Industry pass holders, including the now infamous Harvey Weinstein, would come and go in our separate entranceway.”

Another year he worked the industry venue at the Yarrow Hotel. Then he went back to the Egyptian Theater as assistant manager for 10 years, then moved up to house manager for his last three years. He would have had 25 years under his belt had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic.

A highlight Giovanelli said he enjoyed was participating in the opening day press conference at the Egyptian Theater and seeing Robert Redford up close. When he received a letter from Redford on his 20th anniversary of service, Giovanelli shook Redford’s hand and thanked him. 

“Seeing some of the highest-buzzed indie films of the year premiere at Sundance made all the wintry work and trudging up hilly Main St worth it,” Giovanelli said.  

After years of seniority and as one of the managerial volunteers, Sundance provided housing. Giovanelli said he appreciated available housing that allowed him to stay close to most events taking place. 

There are various opportunities to support the festival to help bring the magic to life and can be served in Salt Lake City, Park City or at the Sundance Resort near Provo.

According to a press release, duties for volunteers include: 

  • Assisting with online or in-person roles with an hourly commitment of 32 hours or more.
  • Assisting in different departments and have a variety of tasks, like ushering in a theater, helping with ticketing or helping people get around the festival/transportation. 
  • Participating as a part of a theater crew, helping patrons at an info booth, supporting with transport or helping on the online Festival platform.

To apply to volunteer at the Sundance Film Festival at the Sundance Institute website.

According to a Sundance Institute news release:

The Institute continues to work with its COVID-19 safety team and is following all CDC guidelines. All staff and volunteers working the Festival will be required to mask and test weekly. The Institute requests that attendees wear masks in Sundance Film Festival spaces to keep themselves and other community members safe, and encourages all attendees to be current on all COVID-19 vaccinations and to test before attending and during the Festival.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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