Park City Day School’s “Fundance” Film Festival inspires compassion in youth

Park City Day School students gather to watch short films at their "Fundance" Film Festival. Photo: Julia Callo Farnes

Park City Day School students participate in seventh annual Fundance Film Festival

PARK CITY, Utah — On Jan. 30, students at Park City Day School participated in the school’s seventh annual “Fundance” Film Festival. The festival showcased four short, animated films that each highlighted the theme of compassion.

This year’s films included “Omeleto,” “Felt Love,” “Family Bonds,” and “The Wrong Rock.” Students had the opportunity to cast their votes to determine which film was the best of the event. This year’s winner was “The Wrong Rock,” a short film that conveys a powerful message about equality and putting aside our differences for the greater good.

The Fundance Film Festival is an annual celebration at Park City Day School. The festival allows students to experience powerful short films that have a message of hope and encourages them to think creatively about complex issues.

“Every year, we select short animated films that depict stories and characters that our students can connect with. We hope to foster empathy and belonging,” said Hye Soo Dixon, performing arts teacher at Park City Day School. “Our ‘Fundance’ festival is a way we can continue to weave our strive for five values into our school culture. We are thrilled to provide our students with an opportunity to experience these incredibly powerful short films, which then serve to facilitate some really meaningful conversations.”

A committee of teachers selected the films, deemed appropriate for the theme of compassion. The films were then shown to all students, who discussed them in their homerooms before voting on which one was the best.