The Sundance Institute on Friday announced six finalists in its search for a new host location for the influential film festival. After 40 years in Park City, Utah, the festival is eyeing locations across the country for festivals starting in 2027 when its existing contract will be up for renewal. The snowy mountain town, along with Salt Lake City, will still be home to the 2025 and 2026 festivals, and the Utah cities are one of the six options for future festivals.
Quick Read
- Sundance Film Festival Finalizes Host City Contenders:
- Current Situation: The Sundance Institute has announced six finalist cities for its future film festival locations, as it plans to move from Park City, Utah, starting in 2027 when its current contract ends.
- Finalists: The six cities are:
- Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah (continuing as hosts for the 2025 and 2026 festivals)
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Boulder, Colorado
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Selection Criteria: Finalist cities were chosen based on their infrastructure, accessibility, event venues, logistical capabilities, and alignment with Sundance’s values. The festival aims to support its growth and continue its legacy while highlighting new artistic works.
- Next Steps: Site visits to each finalist city will occur in the coming weeks. The final decision on the new host city will be announced in early 2025.
- Historical Context: Sundance has been a significant platform for independent filmmakers, with past winners like “CODA,” “Summer Of Soul,” and “Minari” achieving Oscar success.
- Local Reactions: Mayors and governors of the finalist cities, as well as current hosts Park City and Salt Lake City, have expressed enthusiasm for the festival’s potential move or continued presence, emphasizing the importance of the festival to their communities.
- Notable Figures: Sundance founder Robert Redford, along with his daughter Amy Redford, has been involved in the selection process, reflecting on the festival’s evolution and growth since its inception.
The Associated Press has the story:
Sundance Film Festival narrows down host cities from Louisville to Santa Fe for future years
Newslooks- LOS ANGELES (AP) —
The Sundance Institute on Friday announced six finalists in its search for a new host location for the influential film festival. After 40 years in Park City, Utah, the festival is eyeing locations across the country for festivals starting in 2027 when its existing contract will be up for renewal. The snowy mountain town, along with Salt Lake City, will still be home to the 2025 and 2026 festivals, and the Utah cities are one of the six options for future festivals.
The other five finalists are Atlanta; Cincinnati; Boulder, Colorado; Louisville, Kentucky, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. These cities are moving along in the selection process after a competitive request for proposal phase that started in May and saw submissions from across the country.
The potential host cities were selected for their ability to support the film festival’s growth and they will continue to be evaluated on each city’s infrastructure, accessibility, event venues and logistical capabilities, as well as their alignment with Sundance’s values.
“As we very carefully consider this important decision for our Festival, we believe these six finalists allow us the best opportunity to not only secure a sustainable future for our Festival, but also to build upon its legacy while continuing to support the next generation of storytellers and highlight bold new works of art,” said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute board chair, and Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute acting CEO, in a joint statement.
“We are grateful to all the communities who have expressed interest and been a part of the process, and we have valued the opportunity to learn about the uniqueness of each location,” the statement continued. “We look forward to the site visits in each of the finalist cities.”
Sundance has long been a launching pad for independent filmmakers and has supported the early careers of Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino and more. Festival winners often become some of the year’s most acclaimed films. Last year’s festival produced Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” nominated for best picture and best screenplay. Other Sundance titles to reach the Oscars include 2022 best picture winner “CODA,” “Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” and “Minari.”
The Sundance Institute noted that each of the finalist cities have strong arts communities with varied cultural backgrounds and potential for growth. The Robert Redford-founded festival has grown significantly since its inception.
Redford, who stepped back from the Sundance spotlight years ago, expressed concern in 2016 that the festival as it existed might have outgrown Park City and was thinking about ways to evolve. He and his daughter, Amy Redford, who is on the board, have been involved in the process according to an April announcement about the location search.
Mayors and governors from each of the selected cities have issued statements expressing their enthusiasm for the festival to move to their town (or remain there). Mayors Nann Worel of Park City, Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City and Jenny Wilson of Salt Lake County issued a statement that emphasizes the dual city hosting model, likely in response to concerns that Park City was no longer suitable for the ever-expanding festival.
“We are committed to working in partnership on a new vision of ‘Two Cities, One Experience’ with a shared goal of reinvigorating the Festival with an even greater tradition for storytelling over the next 40 years,” the mayor said in their statement.
Members of the Sundance Institute selection committee will visit each of the finalist cities in the coming weeks and a final decision is expected in early 2025.
