Before coming to Park City in 1986, Myles Rademan had made Crested Butte, Colorado, his home for 15 years. He moved from the east coast to Denver in 1970 to serve as a community planner with both a master’s degree in urban planning and a law degree.
In 1972, Rademan moved to Crested Butte when a friend told him that “the hippies had taken over from the old timers.” He applied for a federal grant to hire a town planner and with a couple of friends, Rademan started a planning firm. The three laid down the foundation of what has become the town’s first master plan.
Rademan says the film tells the story of how a community of forward-thinking young people, including himself, walked the fine line between growth and conservation. It will screen in Park City Monday at 7 p.m. at the Jim Santy Auditorium.
“High Country is a love story, a love story about a community, and that community was Crested Butte, Colorado, where I came from,” Rademan said. “Before I was here, I lived there for 15 years and was engaged in quite a few of the battles that we seem to be having here as well.”
The film, “High Country,” premiered in 2020 at the Crested Butte Film Festival, winning the Audience Choice Award. It’s directed by Connor Hagen, someone who was born in Crested Butte but moved away at a young age, although his parents would return to ski every year. Hagen talked about the film’s origins in a 2020 discussion with the Crested Butte Museum, which helped raise money to make the film.
“I guess I just have always been drawn to the place because it's so beautiful, and the community is so lively, and it's got such great stories, and it's such a truly incredible place,” Hagen said. “Initially the idea for the film was inspired by the stories that I had heard growing up from my parents and all my parents' friends. I would hear these wild stories about what Crested was like in the ‘70s. As a kid, I just was enamored. It was in awe of these stories.”
A post film panel discussion about community activism will follow with Rademan moderating. Joining him will include three-term Park City Mayor Dana Williams, climate change activist Eyee Hsu, environmental activist Sara Jo Dickens and Park City Film Executive Director Katy Wang.
Admission is free. Here is a link for advanced registration which is requested, but not required.
