Sundance could come to Louisville after city named a host finalist

Louisville was named one of six finalists to potentially become the next home of the internationally renowned school. Sundance Film Festival.

Friday’s announcement puts Louisville in the running to host the festival starting in 2027. For the past 40 years, the festival has been held in Park City, Utah.

“We’re thrilled to have reached this stage,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Friday. “At the same time, we’re not content to just participate. We want to win, and we want to help Sundance grow in new and exciting ways. That’s why I’m all in on this. That’s why our city is all in on this. That’s why our state is all in on this.”

Greenberg added that Louisville is “home to the best two minutes in sports and is poised to host the best 10 days in film,” noting that the city is one of more than 90 that have applied to host the festival. He was joined Friday by Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, Louisville City Council Speaker Marcus Winkler, Louisville Tourism CEO Cleo Battle and several leaders from Louisville’s film and creative industries.

Members of the selection committee are expected to visit Louisville, along with the other finalist cities, in the coming weeks.

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The six finalists are as follows:

Atlanta
Boulder, Colorado
Cincinnati
Louisville
Salt Lake City/Park City, Utah
Santa Fe, New Mexico

In compiling the final list of potential locations, the Sundance Institute said in a statement that it evaluated each city’s infrastructure, its ability to deliver the event, its “ethos and equitable values,” as well as whether the city could “sustainably serve and support” the festival’s artists and audiences.

“After careful consideration of this important decision for our festival, we are confident that these six finalists give us the best opportunity to not only ensure a sustainable future for our festival, but also to further build on our festival’s traditions while supporting the next generation of storytellers and spotlighting bold new artistic work,” Sundance Institute board president Ebs Burnough and acting CEO Amanda Kelso said in a news release.

Susie Eastman, President 502 Filmcalled it an “honor” to be selected as a finalist and praised the Sundance Film Festival as “one of the world’s oldest, most respected and upholding pillars of visual storytelling and creativity.”

“As Louisville’s film industry and production community continues to grow, we were incredibly excited to receive the news that Sundance is considering our city as a future festival location. [its] “Louisville is home to an internationally renowned film festival,” she said in a statement. “Our community has always been buzzing with creative talent, and with our experienced crew, unique location and unmatched film tax incentives, Louisville continues to attract film production to the region.”

Mid-April, Non-profit organization Sundance Institute A request for information (closed May 1) and a request for proposals (closed June 21) have been launched to find a feasible location in the United States to host the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027, the search firm announced. Blog posts on the website.

“The RFI/RFP will allow us to evaluate, explore, and build an accessible festival infrastructure that serves the growing global independent creative community, while maintaining the festival’s core mission and responsibility of discovering and supporting independent storytellers and introducing their work to new audiences,” the blog read.

Here’s what you need to know about the Sundance Film Festival, its relocation and what’s next for Louisville.

What is the Sundance Film Festival?

The Sundance Film Festival is a public program run by the nonprofit Sundance Institute and is “the preeminent event that brings together original storytellers and audiences who seek out new voices, fresh perspectives and support independent film,” according to the Sundance Institute. Blog Post.

Founded by acclaimed actor Robert Redford, the Sundance Film Festival “serves as a springboard for independent filmmaking and a vital platform for transforming careers while showcasing unique voices. Every January, audiences are the first to discover and celebrate the bold creative visions and exciting new talent that will be talked about for years to come,” the blog read.

Sundance said the 2024 festival saw its highest number of submissions ever, with more than 17,000 films submitted from 153 countries.

Where is the Sundance Film Festival currently taking place?

For the past 40 years, the Sundance Film Festival has been held in Park City, Utah. The 2025 and 2026 Sundance Film Festival will continue to be held in Park City, Sundance’s headquarters.

Why is the Sundance Film Festival moving?

Sundance’s contract with Park City is up for renewal starting in 2027. According to the blog, the festival plans to use the RFI/RFP to “evaluate, explore, and build an accessible film festival infrastructure that serves the growing independent creative community around the world.”

Why is Louisville looking to host the festival?

Louisville hopes to attract filmmakers from around the world to the Bourbon City while also deepening connections with the local artistic community.

If Louisville were to host the festival, it could have a $170 million economic impact.

“Louisville will be established globally as a leader in creative and innovative talent, generally, and in the film industry specifically,” Greenberg said.

Dean Otto, film curator at the Speed Art Museum, said it’s an honor for Louisville to be nominated.

“Many of the films that premiere at Sundance also screen at the Speed Film Festival when they are released in theaters,” Otto said. “We’re thrilled to be able to screen the groundbreaking films that Sundance premieres each year.”

What incentives does Louisville offer Sundance?

Greenberg said the incentives are secret because a competitive process is underway, but he has been working with Gov. Andy Beshear and the Legislature to consider what the state can offer.

Stivers, a Manchester Republican, said he has been going back and forth with Greenberg about the incentives package for months.

“I can’t guarantee what the Legislature will do or what the incentives will be, but I can guarantee you this: I am going to persuade my colleagues to work with the mayor to do everything in my power to make Louisville and rural and urban Kentucky a better place, just as I did last session, and this is one way we can do that,” Stivers said. “By trying to attract and host high-quality, large-scale, sophisticated events to our city and state.”

In Kentucky Competitive Film Tax Incentives.

What’s next for Louisville?

Members of the Sundance Institute selection committee plan to visit Louisville and the other finalist cities in the coming weeks to evaluate their potential.

Greenberg said the institute will make a decision shortly thereafter.

The institute’s announcement Friday did not provide details about why Louisville was a finalist, and the nonprofit promised a “fair and comprehensive review” and said it would not comment while the review was ongoing.

But Eastman said the economic impact on Louisville has already begun within hours of the institute announcing the school as a finalist.

“In the space of two hours, I got 10 emails from filmmakers saying they want to screen their films right away. This is having an economic impact on our city because we have received the endorsement of one of the most internationally renowned film festivals in the world.”

Global News

Sundance could come to Louisville after city named a host finalist

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