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Savannah not in the running for Sundance Film Festival

When Savannah’s signature running event takes place later this year, it will be the first race under new management and ownership. Visit Savannah this week announced the change of ownership for the Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run , and this week’s episode of On Our Radar chronicles the race’s new ownership.

This week also marks another high-profile lawsuit in the Savannah region, with attorneys for conservative activist Beth Majeroni filing a legal complaint after she was removed from a Chatham County Election Commission meeting last summer.

If you have any neighborhood updates, organizational events, or news tips that you think could be helpful to Savannah residents, please send them to [email protected]. Also, please reach out if there are stories here that you’d like to hear more about. The deadline for the On Our Radar series is the end of the day every Friday.

No Sundance for Savannah

Savannah missed out on the bid to host the Sundance Film Festival, as it was one of 15 U.S. cities that applied to host the festival starting in 2027. The Sundance Film Institute, the nonprofit organization that organizes the festival, launched a Request for Proposal process in May for a new host.

Although Savannah was not selected as a finalist, another Georgia city, Atlanta, made the list of six in the final round at Sundance.

“Throughout this process, we had thoughtful, vibrant, creative and supportive conversations with governors, mayors, arts advocates, film commissioners and other local leaders from locations across the country. We were encouraged by the tremendous enthusiasm and submissions from cities across the country and greatly appreciate the energy that went into each proposal,” said Eugene Hernandez, festival director and director of public programming, in the press release. “It was a difficult decision to narrow down to six finalists. Each of these cities has a vibrant creative ecosystem, either expanding or established, and has allowed creativity to flourish in their cities through their support of the arts. These cities understand our ethos, are aligned with our core values ​​and have shown us exciting opportunities to collaborate with our festival — for our artists, audiences and everyone who wants to be a part of the Sundance Film Festival — and that makes us want to see more.”

The other finalists are Boulder, Colorado; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah (the current host); and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Friday’s announcement comes days after details of Savannah’s application were first reported by local TV station WTOC. Savannah’s application was filed by the Savannah Economic Development Authority, which is home to the Savannah Film Commission.

SEDA declined to comment on Friday’s announcement. When the application was made public this week, SEDA released the following statement from President and CEO Trip Tollison about the application:

“Savannah is the perfect backdrop for large-scale events like the Sundance Film Festival. Not only do we welcome more than 17 million visitors each year, but the city also comes together to deliver two already established large-scale annual events: the Savannah Music Festival and the third-largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the country,” Tollison said in the statement. “Savannah offers a vibrant and supportive community that fosters creativity and innovation, making it the perfect home for the Sundance Film Festival in 2027 and beyond. We thank the organization for considering Savannah as their future potential host city.”

Sundance’s RFP asked how many “large concert venues” with a seating capacity of 1,300 or more the venue would house. Savannah’s request referenced the Enmarket Arena and Johnny Mercer Theatre. The Mercer Theatre was recently approved for renovation by the Savannah City Council and is in the very early planning stages for that project.

Local Fleet Feet organization leads bridge run and Publix half marathon

Fleet Feet is a running brand with stores in the US offering footwear, apparel, and fitness-related programs.

According to a press release from Visit Savannah, the local branch of Fleet Feet, which has a running club in Pooler, is now responsible for the Savannah Bridge Run and the Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon.

“We are excited to take on the responsibility for these popular local running events,” said Mike Nadeau, owner and CEO of Fleet Feet Savannah/Pooler/Bluffton, in the press release. “Our dedication to promoting health, wellness and community involvement aligns perfectly with the spirit of the Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon & 5K and the Enmarket Savannah River Bridge Run.”

Registration for this year’s bridge is now open and the race will take place on December 7. The event consists of a 5K and a 10K with two crossings of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. There is also a “ruck division” where runners carry a weighted backpack or rucksack.

Runners who want to brave the 5.5% incline on the bridge can register here.

Majeroni Files Legal Complaint Against Chatham Board of Elections

Majeroni’s legal complaint stems from a July 10, 2023, BOE meeting where she was physically removed after being removed from her position by BOE Chairman Tom Mahoney during her public comments.

The core of the claim, filed in Savannah, U.S. District Court, alleges that Majeroni was forced to end her public remarks before her allotted 3 minutes and then removed from the meeting, violating her First Amendment rights.

The legal complaint states that Majeroni’s public comments during the meeting “constituted protected political speech with respect to elections, legal proceedings and the Open Records Act.”

The complaint includes 13 counts in all, ranging from First Amendment violations to assault, false imprisonment and intentional emotional distress. Claims were filed against the BOE, Mahoney and the two officers involved in Majeroni’s removal.

Majeroni is represented by attorneys from two Atlanta law firms. Beal, Sutherland, Berlin, & Brown LLC specializes in employment litigation, and Wade, Grunberg, Wilson LLC represents clients in defamation cases, such as the tax collector who won a $775,000 judgment against reality TV personality Todd Chrisley.

Mahoney told the Savannah Morning News after the incident that Majeroni was “very disruptive” to the meeting.