Sundance Film Festival narrows down host cities — from Louisville to Santa Fe — for future years

Kaitlyn Huamani, Associated Press

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The Sundance Institute connected Friday announced six finalists successful its hunt for a caller big location for nan influential movie festival.

After 40 years successful Park City, Utah, nan show is eyeing locations crossed nan state for festivals starting successful 2027 erstwhile its existing statement will beryllium up for renewal. The snowy upland town, on pinch Salt Lake City, will still beryllium location to nan 2025 and 2026 festivals, and nan Utah cities are 1 of nan six options for early festivals.

The different 5 finalists are Atlanta; Cincinnati; Boulder, Colorado; Louisville, Kentucky, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. These cities are moving on successful nan action process aft a competitory petition for connection shape that started successful May and saw submissions from crossed nan country.

The imaginable big cities were selected for their expertise to support nan movie festival’s maturation and they will proceed to beryllium evaluated connected each city’s infrastructure, accessibility, arena venues and logistical capabilities, arsenic good arsenic their alignment pinch Sundance’s values.

“As we very cautiously see this important determination for our Festival, we judge these six finalists let america nan champion opportunity to not only unafraid a sustainable early for our Festival, but besides to build upon its bequest while continuing to support nan adjacent procreation of storytellers and item bold caller useful of art,” said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute committee chair, and Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute acting CEO, successful a associated statement.

“We are grateful to each nan communities who person expressed liking and been a portion of nan process, and we person weighted nan opportunity to study astir nan characteristic of each location,” nan connection continued. “We look guardant to nan tract visits successful each of nan finalist cities.”

Sundance has agelong been a launching pad for independent filmmakers and has supported nan early careers of Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino and more. Festival winners often go immoderate of nan year’s astir acclaimed films. Last year’s show produced Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” nominated for champion image and champion screenplay. Other Sundance titles to scope nan Oscars see 2022 champion image victor “CODA,” “Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” and “Minari.”

The Sundance Institute noted that each of nan finalist cities person beardown arts communities pinch varied taste backgrounds and imaginable for growth. The Robert Redford-founded show has grown importantly since its inception.

Redford, who stepped backmost from nan Sundance spotlight years ago, expressed interest successful 2016 that nan show arsenic it existed mightiness person outgrown Park City and was reasoning astir ways to evolve. He and his daughter, Amy Redford, who is connected nan board, person been progressive successful nan process according to an April announcement astir nan location search.

Mayors and governors from each of nan selected cities person issued statements expressing their enthusiasm for nan show to move to their municipality (or stay there). Mayors Nann Worel of Park City, Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City and Jenny Wilson of Salt Lake County issued a connection that emphasizes nan dual metropolis hosting model, apt successful consequence to concerns that Park City was nary longer suitable for nan ever-expanding festival.

“We are committed to moving successful business connected a caller imagination of ‘Two Cities, One Experience’ pinch a shared extremity of reinvigorating nan Festival pinch an moreover greater contented for storytelling complete nan adjacent 40 years,” nan mayors said successful their statement.

Members of nan Sundance Institute action committee will sojourn each of nan finalist cities successful nan coming weeks and a last determination is expected successful early 2025.