After months of COVID and the emotional whiplash from shifting of one emotion to another, or a remote task or meeting to another, a beloved in-person event can provide a bit of a respite. It doesn’t happen without recognition of the obvious: Sun Valley, Idaho, had one of highest per capita rate of COVID in the states in March 2020. Since then, like many cities that have shifted and strained over the last two years, it has reflected on its identity and recognized the difficulty of the COVID experience.
The proximity of sadness to happiness, crying to laughter, a tidal wave of which was present during the last few years…these are elements Amy Poehler recognizes. “Crying to laughter; those feelings are not that far apart,” Poehler shared during her Saturday morning coffee talk at the Sun Valley Film Festival. “Laughter is carbonated holiness,” Poehler reminded the crowd, sharing a quote from Anne Lamont.
This is the voice of Joy after all.
The film festival circuit has been no stranger to changes and whiplash over the last two years. Just two months before the Sun Valley Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival found themselves once again shifting to the online model. Filmmakers that looked forward to a possible in-person screening once again found themselves on the Sundance spaceship instead. With a smaller draw, and the small mountain town flavor, SVFF potentially saw the ability to provide Sundance filmmakers with the opportunity to mingle in Idaho mountain air. Indeed, several of SVFF’s selections previously screened at the Sundance and SXSW Festivals. But now, they had the opportunity to be screened in-person in an entirely different environment.
The combined permanent population of Sun Valley and neighboring Ketchum is a little more than 4,000 people. And while Sun Valley is over 800 miles from Los Angeles, it’s never truly too far away from California. Sun Valley is more of a California extension now then the California escape. With direct flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the Allen Conference bringing the Silicon Valley elite every summer, Sun Valley may always feel tethered to the West Coast cities it attracted escapees from. And that fluidity, being able to go back and forth and also honor your trajectory, soothed a bit of whiplash.
Working and playing in a mountain town means we appreciate the small details. Flowers starting to appear again. Color returning where there once was snow. The bright neon beanies from the local coffee shop. The cool sunglasses. The welcoming smiles. And this transferred to the film festival too. The blankets at the SVFF headquarters. The posters. National Geographic beanies. The cool sunglasses. The welcoming smiles.
Bestowing a mix of Sundance hits and Idaho short films, international and local filmmakers, workshops for young filmmakers and established talents, events for writers and filmmakers, the SVFF catered a program for multiple types of media makers and viewers. And if you happened to snag a few runs before a film screening, you were truly getting the Sun Valley experience.
What transpired were scenes and elements unique to SVFF. There was the Pioneer Party on Main Street Pioneer which brought together locals over fire pits, and sent teenagers scrambling to take photos with the cast of The Outer Banks. Viewers had the opportunity to view “One In A Million” Award Winners or the Gem State Award Winner (the best short film made in Idaho) during the festival run. Below are the celebrated films in those categories:
- One in a Million Narrative – Karamalink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhhDXOvqKXM
- One in a Million Documentary – Sirens https://www.sirensdocumentary.com/watch
- Gem State Award – Meridian – https://vimeo.com/582269387
- Hot Shot Future Filmmakers Forum Award – The First 280 Honest Words of my Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHIfrfHKzmY
Storytelling at altitude also included honoring Amy Poehler and Woody Harrelson, who both shared stories of their careers in entertainment and the friends you meet along they way, especially female friendships. “You haven’t met all the people you’re going to,” Poehler explained regarding female friendships over 40. The same could have been shared about filmmaking and festivals too: the more that smaller towns and festivals bring in creators, the more opportunities there are to meet fellow creatives.
Whether your experience was at the Ketchum Argyros or the Sun Valley Opera House, conversations ensued and laughter too. Carbonated holiness released. Laughter in a small town thrashed by COVID isn’t just a requirement. It’s healing medicine.
Thank you, Joy.