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rear The bidding process took months., Sundance The festival has narrowed down the list of candidates for the new location, which will begin in 2027, to six.
One of the five remote cities across the country Robert RedfordThe , an independent film festival founded by , or Sundance, may remain in its longtime home base in Utah under a new deal, it was revealed on Friday. Park City Following Salt Lake City, the finalists for Sundance’s returning film festival are Atlanta, Georgia; Boulder, Colorado; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The leader of a city that is one of the potential new locations for the festival told Deadline today that the city wants to “wow Sundance by showing them what we have here and why they should move here.” With various jurisdictions in a divided America enacting restrictive laws and regulations in an election year, Sundance executives are placing special emphasis in their deliberations on “key values”: inclusion, equity, environmental protection, and a commitment to culture and independent film.
A final decision on whether Sundance will move after the 2026 festival is expected to be made sometime between the fall and the end of the 2025 festival, though some within Sundance have advocated for the news to be announced sooner. Under the current agreement, the 2025 and 2026 festivals will be held in Park City, with screenings in Salt Lake City and elsewhere in Utah.
The news that the Peach State metropolis and New Mexico capital city could be Sundance’s new home was reported exclusively by Deadline. It goes back to last summer. last month, 15 Cities Georgia senators who held summit talks on the proposal. Raphael Warnock Exclusive interview with Deadline “I hope that the folks at Sundance will have the clarity of mind to realize that it’s in their best interest to bring the festival to Georgia,” he said.
Senator Raphael Warnock
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Of course, it’s clear that Park City will need to grow to meet the evolving needs of 21st-century Sundance, but Atlanta, the southern heartland of Hollywood, and the four other contenders will have to overcome the dominance of their home state of Utah. Coming into the bid with a unified name — “Two Cities, One Experience” — the Beehive State was widely considered a near-loser from the moment Sundance announced in April that it was accepting proposals for relocation after a turbulent few years.
“‘Two Cities, One Experience’ leverages the accomplishments of the past 40 years, including dedicated financial support, incredible volunteers, and of course this world-class venue we call home,” Park City Mayor Nan Worrell told Deadline today. “From the beginning, we’ve all worked to keep Sundance in Utah, and that’s reflected in this exciting new vision.”
According to the latest data, despite a slight decline compared to pre-pandemic years, the Sundance Film Festival contributed more than $118 million to Utah’s GNP in 2023. More specifically, excluding the prestige and extensive media exposure, Sundance contributed $12.3 million in tax revenue to the state coffers that year, $96 million in spending by out-of-state visitors, and $63 million in wages.
Cities like Boulder have said they would pump $2 million into the festival if they won their bid, but Utah’s approach builds in part on longstanding tax incentives and infrastructure the state has provided to Sundance for decades. Aiming for the biggest impact, Utah’s new bid also proposes a “restructuring” of the $4 million the festival currently receives directly from the government, plus the $2 million in “cash and in-kind support” it receives from individual and corporate donors.
With all this in mind, the Sundance Institute Selection Committee will be “conducting on-site visits to all nominated festivals in the coming weeks to further explore the feasibility of hosting a festival,” according to organizers. The secretive committee will reportedly include Sundance board member Amy Redford, recently installed CEO Amanda Kelso, and festival director and public programming director Eugene Hernandez.
“Narrowing it down to six finalists was a difficult decision,” Hernandez said today.
“Each of these cities has a vibrant creative ecosystem, either expanding or established, that has allowed creativity to flourish in their cities through their support of the arts,” he added. “These cities understand our ethos, align with our core values and have demonstrated interesting possibilities for partnership with our festival – for our artists, our audiences and everyone who wants to be a part of the festival.” Sundance Film Festival “And that makes us want to see more.”
Still, make plans to book your tickets in Utah for next year, as the 2025 Sundance Film Festival will bring the film to screens in Park City and Salt Lake City from January 23rd to February 2nd.
