That’s the gist of an article posted July 10 on the website of Deadline Hollywood, the insider’s publication. Marked “exclusive,” the article, by Deadline Editorial Director Anthony D’Alessandro and Senior Editor Dominic Patten, begins:
“Amid all the strike news and Emmy noms on the horizon, here’s something wild we heard recently and that’s that the Sundance Film Festival has been fielding bids from a handful of cities to relocate the festival from its Park City, UT home base.
“Sources tell us that Sundance is looking for another city to host future editions of the indie film festival and market. Already, Sundance has a contract with Park City city hall to remain in the ski town until at least 2026.
“Among those places in the mix in what are very early talks, are Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bentonville, Arkansas is another city in the mix. That’s where the family of Walmart is based and could write a big check to stir things up in town.”
Santa Fe is lovely. But Bentonville? Ouch.
The article goes on to cite a statement from an unnamed “Sundance rep” that “The Festival is based in Utah … We are not exploring new locations.”
Deadline says it’s told by “Sundance insiders” that Sundance has “been looking at other cities to host another Sundance Lab. The Sundance Resort, where one of the labs is held, is about to undergo construction.”
But, says Deadline, it has heard the festival is “at the RFP stage, with cities responding to requests for proposals. Would they do that for a temporary landing place for the Sundance Labs? It seems unlikely.”
Deadline also notes that “Santa Fe has already become a hub for Hollywood productions. Last year, the Netflix-owned Albuquerque Studios broke ground on a major expansion of the 16-year old facility. The City Different counts a handful of cinemas such as the George R.R. Martin owned single screen Jean Cocteau Cinema … For those who griped about the cold, and thin air of the high altitude Park City, the cities we’ve heard would perhaps require a light jacket.”
There’s a slightly different story in a handful of comments on the Deadline article. Says one anonymous commenter, “as in the past when this rumor gets dragged out every several years or so, this could be another way to squeeze more out of the state of Utah and the city of Park City as they begin to negotiate the next round of contracts. If their current contract is set to expire in 2026 that means just two more festivals which means they’re probably in negotiations/discussions right now.”
And then there is another commenter who says, “Saudi Arabia and China are likely suitors.”
Would that hurt as bad as Bentonville?