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After months of bidding, the Sundance Film Festival has narrowed its search for a potential new home beginning in 2027 to six contenders.
On Friday, it was revealed that one of five far-flung cities across the country could be the new home of the Robert Redford-founded independent film festival, or that Sundance could remain in its old home in Utah under a new deal. Along with a joint bid from Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, the final contenders to host a revamped Sundance are Atlanta, Ga.; Boulder, Colo.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Ky.; and Santa Fe, N.M.
A civic leader at one of the festival’s potential new venues told Deadline today that his city intends to “show Sundance what we have here, and why they should move here.” While many jurisdictions in a divided America are enacting restrictive laws and regulations during this election year, Sundance officials are putting a clear emphasis on “core values” of inclusion, equality, concern for the environment, and a commitment to culture and independent film in particular in their deliberations.
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 event, though some within Sundance are pushing for the news to be made public sooner rather than later. Under the current contract, the 2025 and 2026 festivals will be held in Park City, with screenings in Salt Lake City and elsewhere in Utah.
News that the Beach State and New Mexico City could become a new home for Sundance was exclusively reported by Deadline last summer. Last month, after we revealed the 15 cities that had submitted proposals, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock spoke exclusively to Deadline about his desire for “Sundance to have the clarity of perspective to recognize that it’s in their best interest to bring the festival to Georgia.”
Senator Raphael Warnock
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Of course, even with Park City’s obvious need to grow to meet the evolving needs of a 21st-century Sundance, Atlanta’s South Hollywood hub and the other four candidates must overcome Utah’s potential city advantage. Having presented a unified “two cities, one experience” bid, Utah has been widely seen as the candidate to beat almost since Sundance announced in April that it would accept proposals for a relocation after a difficult few years.
“Two Cities, One Experience builds on what has worked for the past 40 years with our dedicated funding, our amazing volunteers, and of course this world-class venue we call home,” Park City Mayor Nan Worrell told Deadline today. “From the beginning, this has been a comprehensive approach to keeping Sundance in Utah, and that’s reflected in this exciting new vision.”
According to the latest data, the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, which saw a slight decline from previous pre-pandemic years, generated more than $118 million for Utah’s GDP. More specifically, excluding the prestige and massive media presence, the Sundance Film Festival that year generated $12.3 million in tax revenue for the state coffers, $96 million in out-of-state visitor spending, and $63 million in wages.
While Boulder has said it would pump $2 million into the festival if it wins the bid, Utah’s efforts are based in part on the tax breaks and infrastructure the state has provided to Sundance for decades. In an effort to make the most of its money, the new Utah is offering what officials are calling a “restructuring” of the current $4 million the festival receives directly from state sources and $2 million in “cash and in-kind support” from donors, both individuals and corporations.
With all that in mind, the Sundance Institute’s selection committee plans to visit all contenders in the “coming weeks to explore possibilities for hosting the festival,” according to organizers. The committee, which is said to be a state secret, includes Sundance board member Amy Redford, newly appointed CEO Amanda Kelso, and festival director and public programming director Eugene Hernandez.
“Reaching the final six was a difficult decision,” Hernandez said today.
“Each of these cities has a vibrant creative ecosystem, either expanding or well-established, and has enabled 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 shown us exciting possibilities for partnership with our festival—for our artists, our audiences, and everyone who wants to be a part of Sundance Film Festival—and that makes us want to see more.”
However, plan to book your tickets to Utah next year, as the 2025 Sundance Film Festival will light up screens in Park City and Salt Lake City from January 23 to February 2.
