What happened at Sundance: Utah films shine, a new director is named, and a fire burns

Now that it’s all over, time for a look back at the events I covered and the stories I wrote for The Salt Lake Tribune and sltrib.com during the 2020 Sundance Film Festival:

• The opening-night film, the documentary “Crip Camp,” gave a group of disabled-rights activists a well-earned moment in the spotlight.

• Pop star Taylor Swift got a standing ovation after the premiere of her eye-opening documentary, “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana.”

• A documentary short, “Church and the Fourth Estate,” examines accusations of sexual abuse levied against Boy Scout leaders linked to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and how a small-town newspaper was attacked for publishing stories about the charges.

• Hillary Clinton came to Park City for the debut of a four-hour documentary series about her, and she seemed to have a good time seeing movies and speaking her mind.

• Festival organizers issued a “thank you” to the Ute Tribe, acknowledging the ancestral owners of the land on which the festival was happening. The message was seen by everybody, because it played before every single screening.

• Two movies filmed in Utah — “The Killing of Two Lovers” and “Nine Days” — had their world premieres at Sundance, on the same day.

• Here are the short films that won awards.

• Sundance threw a community bonfire on Park City’s Swede Alley, with drummers, a choir, and a whole lot of lighter fluid.

• At Awards Night, the festival’s closing night party, Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam made a big announcement: Tabitha Jackson, director of the institute’s Documentary Film Program, will be the new director of the festival.

• Then Awards Night got to the other business of the night: Giving out awards.

• And one more award, after the festival was over: The Festival Favorite award.