The 2020 edition of the Sundance Film Festival is set to run January 23rd through February 2nd in and around Park City. This week we share the unveiling of the Sundance lineup, the best small town in Utah and what to do if you cross paths with a moose.

Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem - the indie festival, which is close to achieving its goal of gender parity, will debut films that center on a Russell Simmons rape accuser, Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and the opioid crisis, among many others.

As Sundance director John Cooper’s 11-year run at the helm of the indie film festival comes to a close, he is going out with a bang. With a nod to what he dubs “youth’s role in activism,” Cooper has packed the 2020 fest lineup with a slew of hot-button films that cover everything from an abortion road-trip drama to high school gun control efforts.

Cooper, who will step down after the 35th incarnation of the festival wraps and segue to the newly created role of emeritus director, has filled his final slate with such films as Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always , which revolves around a pair of teen girls in rural Pennsylvania who hit the road to cross state lines when one is faced with an unplanned pregnancy, and Kim A. Snyder’s documentary Us Kids , which tracks the survivors of a Parkland, Florida, school shooting and the birth of a youth gun control movement. Both films are playing in competition.

Among the 118 films that will screen across 10 major categories are Julie Taymor’s The Glorias, featuring Alicia Vikander, Julianne Moore and Steinem herself as the trailblazing feminist at varying ages, as well as Lana Wilson's doc Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, which delves into the pop icon’s transformation from apolitical star into someone willing to harness the full power of her voice. And Barack and Michelle Obama will be represented by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht’s doc Crip Camp , about a 1970s summer camp for disabled teens (the Obamas’ Higher Ground banner produced the film).

Unlike other high-profile film festivals, Sundance is close to reaching its goal of gender parity. This year’s lineup features 118 full-length films, representing 27 countries and 44 first-time feature filmmakers. Of the 65 directors in the four competition categories, comprising 56 films, 46 percent are women, 38 percent are people of color and 12 percent are LGBTQ+.

The Robert Redford-founded fest often embraces and reflects current events, and the upcoming edition will be no exception with a slate that includes Rodrigo Garcia’s Four Good Days (Glenn Close stars as the mother of an opioid-addicted daughter), Bryan Fogel’s doc The Dissident (about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi) and an untitled Kirby Dick-Amy Ziering doc , which chronicles the plight of a former hip-hop executive who accused one of the most powerful men in the music industry of rape (though the film’s logline is vague, the music mogul is said to be Russell Simmons).

As was the case for the 2019 edition, the most commercial films of the coming fest will screen in the premieres section, namely Jim Rash and Nat Faxon’s Downhill (starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell), the Benedict Cumberbatch Soviet-era drama Ironbark, Miranda July’s Kajillionaire (led by Evan Rachel Wood), the Margot Robbie-produced Carey Mulligan-starrer Promising Young Woman and the serial killer drama Lost Girls, documentarian Liz Garbus' narrative feature debut . And though Sundance also hosts a robust acquisitions market, many of the hottest titles are already spoken for, including Downhill (Fox Searchlight) and Taylor Swift: Miss Americana and Lost Girls (both Netflix). Kajillionaire was poised to be distributed by Annapurna/United Artists, but it is now being sold by UTA.

Sundance 2020 will also see the return of directors who enjoyed breakout career moments at the festival in the past, including Dee Rees (The Last Thing He Wanted , starring Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Willem Dafoe and Rosie Perez), Justin Simien’s horror satire Bad Hair and Benh Zeitlin’s Wendy , which offers a twist on the classic story of Peter Pan. But the event known for discoveries should produce several in this year’s U.S. and world competition sections.

The 2020 edition of the fest is set to run Jan. 23-Feb. 2 in and around Park City.

A list of the films confirmed for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival follows.

A few days ago, The Best Small Town to Live in, in Every U.S. State was released as Heber tops the list for Utah. There’s something universally alluring about a small town like “Gilmore Girls”’ Stars Hollow. The coffee shop owner knows your order, your name, and if you’re having a bad day. There’s no traffic. It doesn’t take 30 minutes to find a parking space when meeting friends for a drink. It turns out, The Wall Street Journal reported that more and more millennials have been relocating to small towns, claiming that, “Since 2014 an average of about 30,000 residents between 25 and 39 have left big cities annually.”

According to Beatrice de Jong, Consumer Trends Expert at Opendoor, there are many reasons why we’re seeing more folks head to small towns. She tells Apartment Therapy, “Remote work is becoming more common, and this growing trend has empowered homebuyers to live outside of major metropolitan areas. While cities have historically been prime real estate with higher price tags, homeowners can get more bang for their buck in the suburbs or rural areas.”

On top of the flexibility and cost, small towns tend to have better public school systems than cities do. Broker Michael J. Franco at Compass Realty explains, “One of the other main reasons I see people leaving New York is the cost of raising kids in the city and schools where the process can be complicated and, of course, expensive with private schools. Many suburban areas have top-ranked public schools where attendance is granted simply by your residency/domicile.”

We defined a small town as one having a population of less than 20,000 based on the most recent Census data available, and our criteria included attractiveness in terms of what the town offers its residents (parks, shopping, landmarks, food options, etc.). We noted median home listing or value based on data from Zillow, as well as median rent, according to data from Best Places—most of the small towns we chose are less expensive than big cities, minus a few special gems.

Heber City, Utah - Population: 15,792 - Median home price listing: $660,726

Median monthly rent: $1,033 for a 2-bedroom

Life in Heber City is lived outdoors. Located about a 45-minute drive to Salt Lake City, the town is home to Jordanelle State Park, Deer Creek, and Uinta National Forest—all perfect for those who love to hike or go camping. In town, make it a date at the Avon Theater, and grab dinner at Back 40 (known for its fresh, farm-to-table eats), or Snake Creek Grill, which looks like a vintage saloon and serves some of the best comfort food in Utah.

Around this time of year we always like to share Park City Magazine's Trail Safety 101: When You Meet a Moose - How to avoid angering one of Park City’s most frequently seen wild animals.

If you’ve spent any time of Park City’s trails, you’ve probably spotted a moose or two. Around these parts, moose are even known to wander into town to take a stroll down Main Street. Presumably, most people who live here know how to handle themselves around these notoriously irritable animals, but it’s always worth mentioning again for those of us who just can’t seem to help wanting to get closer.

If You Meet a Moose

• Give the moose plenty of space and DO NOT approach it. Keep at least 50 feet between yourself and the moose while you walk past slowly. From a distance, a moose may simply be content to watch you warily or move away, but if you get closer, your presence might agitate it.
• Make sure your dog is leashed and under control. The moose will likely decide you and/or your dog is a threat if your pup is running around and barking. Moose will not hesitate to kick a dog, which can be lethal.
• Don’t get between a mama moose and her calves. If you happen upon a female, be extra careful to assess the scene in case she has little ones nearby. Baby moose are vulnerable to a number of predators, including cougars and bears, so mothers won’t hesitate to aggressively defend their young.

Reasons a Moose Might Charge & Signs of Aggression

Just like other animals, moose have their way of telling you they’re feeling threatened. An angry moose will likely pin its ears back, lower its head, or raise the hackles along its shoulders. If the moose starts moving towards you, it’s a crystal clear message for you to run and get under cover if possible. Usually, if you stay well away from them, moose will simply run away or eye you suspiciously as you pass. A stressed, cornered, or harassed moose, however, might decide to charge. Bull moose are more aggressive and particularly dangerous in September and October during the mating season while cows get prickly during the late spring during calving season.

If A Moose Charges

Should a moose decide to charge you, your only option is to run and take cover. Moose can reach speeds of 30+ m.p.h. so you probably won’t outrun it for long, but at least you’re not going to trigger a predatory response. Your best bet is to try find some kind of cover or climb up a tree if you have time. If the moose catches up and knocks you down, curl into a ball, cover your head as much as you can, and don’t move until the moose leaves. Getting up might make the moose think you’re a renewed threat.

Remember, if you provoke a moose, you’re setting yourself up for a loss since they’re much bigger and more dangerous than you. Best to make some noise, stay away, and let it go about its day.