Sundance Film Festival officials visited the state early in the week as they continue to consider whether to move the event elsewhere.
The Utah Film Commission released limited information about the visit. The bid to keep the festival in the state involves what is described as a “reimagined footprint” in Park City and Salt Lake City. The vision is “Two Cities, One Experience, preserving the legacy of the Park City experience while expanding the Salt Lake City footprint,” a statement from the Utah Film Commission said. It has previously been known that sort of vision for the festival was under discussion in the state.
The festival representatives stopped at prospective venues, theaters and restaurants.
“The group emphasized its unique ability to offer a blend of urban and natural environments, supported by robust infrastructure and a deep connection to the arts,” the statement said.
The statement did not provide details about the Sundance contingent’s stop in Park City, including which venues they were shown and which representatives from City Hall or other organizations in Park City addressed the festival officials.
The Utah Film Commission released a prepared statement from Mayor Nann Worel saying in part there is a need to “reimagine our future together.”
City Hall and Sundance have an agreement that covers the festivals through 2026. The festivals in 2025 and 2026 are slated to be held as normal. Any relocation of Sundance, or an alteration to the event with Salt Lake City having a greater role, would begin with the event in 2027.
Sundance is expected to select a host sometime in early 2025, but a precise timeline is not known.
The other finalists:
- Atlanta
- Boulder, Colorado
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
There have been limited details released about the bid by Park City and Salt Lake City. The dollar figure attached to the proposal from Park City and Salt Lake City, and the funding sources for any financial package, remain two of the key unknowns. A precise map of the venues in the proposal is also not known, but the heavy involvement of Salt Lake City seems to point to the possibility of a reduced footprint in Park City as activities are shifted to the capital city. The Salt Lake City footprint during the festival has traditionally been of much lesser scale than what occurs in Park City during Sundance.
The Sundance visits to the finalist cities have been ongoing. Media coverage has included highlights from the stops in Louisville and Atlanta.
Park City hopes to retain Sundance, even if the community’s role is reduced, with the festival being the most lucrative event on the calendar. The lodging, restaurant and transportation industries typically post some of the best numbers of the year during the 11 days of Sundance, with the opening weekend usually being especially busy in and around Park City.
There is also the cachet of hosting one of the top marketplaces of independent film on the international circuit, alongside festivals like those in Cannes, France, Venice, Italy, Toronto and Berlin.