Conservative group fights Utah funding of Sundance Film Festival

The Sutherland Institute, a conservative public policy think tank, believes that Utah should stop giving government funding to the Sundance Film Festival based on the questionable values portrayed in several of the films.

The movies in question appear to be Lovelace, which is a biopic of porn actress Linda Lovelace, and Two Mothers, according to ABC .

Derek Monson, director of public policy for the Institute, believes that these films contradict the family friendly nature of the state.

According to Monson on the Sutherland Daily, these films and concepts may be seen as ‘obscenity’ or ‘pornography,’ to the residents of Utah, but the state sees it as ‘economic activity.’

According to ABC, Utah will spend nearly $300,000 in support of the festival this year. Through this sponsorship, the state takes advantage of numerous marketing and branding opportunities. In return, the festival brings in $80.3 million in economic benefits for the state. The Sutherland Daily points out that this only makes up 0.064 percent of Utah’s total annual economic activity.

According to CBS, the festival officials remind viewers that the films they choose are picked because of their quality. If a film seems contrary to a person’s values, they can make the choice to not attend that showing.