LOS ANGELES — The Sundance Institute on Friday announced six finalists in its search for a new home for its influential film festival.
The 40-year-old festival, based in Park City, Utah, is looking to branch out across the US starting in 2027, when its existing contract comes up for renewal. The snowy mountain town is set to host the festival in 2025 and 2026, along with Salt Lake City, and the Utah city is one of six in the running to host the future festival.
The other five finalists are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Boulder, Colorado, Louisville, Kentucky, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The cities are moving forward with the selection process following a competitive request for proposals phase that began in May and drew applications from across the country.
Candidate cities were selected based on their ability to support the growth of the festival, and will continue to be evaluated on each city’s infrastructure, accessibility, event venues, logistical capabilities and alignment with Sundance’s values.
“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 build on our festival’s legacy while supporting the next generation of storytellers and spotlighting bold new artistic work,” Sundance Institute board chair Ebs Burnough and Sundance Institute acting CEO Amanda Kelso said in a joint statement.
“We thank all the communities that expressed interest and participated in this process and value the opportunity to learn about the uniqueness of each location,” the statement continued. “We look forward to site visits in each of the finalist cities.”
Sundance has long been a launching pad for independent filmmakers, supporting the early careers of Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino and others. The festival’s winners are often the most acclaimed works of the year. Last year’s festival produced Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” which was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Other Sundance films nominated for Academy Awards include 2022’s Best Picture winner “CODA,” “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Wasn’t Televised)” and “Minari.”
Sundance noted that each of the finalist cities has a strong arts community with diverse cultural backgrounds and potential for growth. The festival, founded by Robert Redford, has grown significantly since its inception.
Redford, who stepped back from the Sundance Film Festival spotlight several years ago, expressed concern in 2016 that the current festival might have outgrown Park City and had been considering ways to grow it. An April announcement about the site search said Redford and his daughter, Amy Redford, who serves as a board member, were involved in the process.
The mayors and governors of each of the selected cities issued statements expressing enthusiasm for the festival to move (or remain) in their towns, and Park City Mayor Nan Worrell, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson all issued statements emphasizing the two-city model in response to concerns that Park City was no longer suitable for the expanding festival.
“We are committed to working together toward a new vision of ‘Two Cities, One Experience,’ with a shared goal of further strengthening our storytelling traditions and revitalizing the festival for the next 40 years,” the mayor said in a statement.
Members of the Sundance Institute selection committee will visit each finalist city in the coming weeks, with a final decision expected to be made in early 2025.
