Hanging over this 12 months’s Sundance Movie Pageant is the query of the place the occasion will transfer for 2027’s version. Officers on the Sundance Institute are anticipated to make an announcement concerning their new host metropolis by early spring, selecting from the ultimate three prospects of Boulder, Colo., Cincinnati or a mixed Salt Lake Metropolis and Park Metropolis, Utah.
Nonetheless the choice shakes out, this 12 months marks the start of the tip for Sundance because it has been identified for greater than 40 years, as hopeful filmmakers and an trade hungry for one thing new make their technique to a distant mountain ski city to find and be found.
The problem for the pageant might be meet the calls for of change whereas holding onto that sure indescribable one thing that makes the pageant so particular.
“Whether the Festival is anchored in Boulder, Cincinnati, or Salt Lake in 2027, Sundance will be Sundance wherever we go,” Hernandez added. “This year will be special in the wake of the recent tragedies in Los Angeles and as our community looks ahead, and I know that next year’s fest, the final year HQ’d in Park City will be one to remember. Not to be missed.”
The three finalists have been narrowed down from six after Atlanta, , Louisville, Ky., and Santa Fe, N.M., have been dropped from the working.
Sundance might be Sundance wherever we go.
— Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Movie Pageant
In line with a press launch when the three finalist cities have been introduced, the qualities being thought of embody “ethos and equity values, infrastructure, and capabilities to host the Festival, in addition to demonstrating ways in which they will continue to foster the diverse Sundance community and inspire the next generation of independent filmmakers.”
Whereas taking over an occasion as logistically sophisticated as Sundance might seem to be nothing however complications, one can admire why it will be thought of of worth to those potential host cities, when it comes to each cultural status and income.
Sundance Institute’s financial impression report for the 2024 pageant said that greater than 141,000 tickets have been bought, which, mixed with on-line viewership, got here to a complete of greater than 361,000. The pageant attracted 72,840 distinctive in-person attendees with roughly 24,200 coming from out of state. These out-of-state guests spent an estimated $106.4 million in Utah in the course of the pageant. And 1,730 jobs have been generated for Utah residents, contributing $69.7 million in wages and producing $13.8 million in state and native taxes.
Checking in with bid representatives from every metropolis, right here is a few perception into the attainable way forward for Sundance.
Boulder
Boulder, Colo., one of many cities vying to be the longer term dwelling of the Sundance Movie Pageant, already hosts a global movie pageant.
(Sundance Institute)
Residence to the College of Colorado Boulder in addition to the Boulder Worldwide Movie Pageant, the town has a vibrant arts neighborhood, with the third-highest focus {of professional} artists per capita within the nation, in accordance with the Nationwide Endowment for the Arts.
A Sundance in Boulder might characteristic the Artwork Deco Boulder Theater, initially opened in 1936, in addition to the Macky Auditorium on the college‘s campus and numerous other venues in and around town. As for where people would stay, there are already many hotels, with new construction underway. Boulder also is relatively close to Denver.
“I think we bring to the table an environment that’s most likely closest to what the unique founders meant Sundance to be,” mentioned Bruce Borowsky, movie commissioner for Boulder County. “In other words, something close to nature. Something that has the kind of politics that allows for people to tell stories that might not be mainstream. We’re very lucky to have a community here that’s very progressive and accepting. And I think those are two of the big ideals that Sundance is all about.”
Boulder has a protracted historical past of social actions and issued the primary same-sex marriage license granted in the US in 1975.
“When we talk about politics,” mentioned Borowsky, “I feel that the politics of Boulder and generally the state of Colorado are much more in line with the politics that the founders of Sundance had in mind when they started the festival. To be inclusive would be the the main word that I would use.”
Borowsky acknowledged that, at the very least initially, there might be individuals skeptical of a Sundance anyplace however in its longtime dwelling.
“I know there will be some people that will probably be disappointed that it’s going to leave Park City,” mentioned Borowsky of the attainable response have been Boulder to win its bid. “But I think once they come to Boulder, if they’ve never been here before, they’ll be extremely excited about coming to our town.”
Salt Lake Metropolis 
Salt Lake Metropolis already hosts a number of occasions of the Sundance Movie Pageant.
(Sundance Institute)
Salt Lake Metropolis is already host to quite a few Sundance occasions in the course of the pageant. Town additionally has been named to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, promising additional funding in native infrastructure.
Bringing collectively stakeholders from Salt Lake Metropolis, Park Metropolis, Salt Lake County, Summit County and the state of Utah, the mixed bid of Salt Lake Metropolis and Park Metropolis makes an attempt to capitalize on having already been dwelling to the pageant for greater than 40 years whereas additionally discovering methods to enhance the expertise.
“It’s been an incredible opportunity to reimagine the future of what Sundance looks like here,” mentioned Lindsey Nikola, deputy chief of employees for Salt Lake Metropolis Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “There’s much potential and we’ve been so inspired by what the years ahead look like. We’ve all really come together to put our best resources together and all of our best ideas together to show Sundance how much they mean to us and how much we want them to stay.”
Whereas some may even see the politics of the state of Utah, together with controversial restrictions on public loos for transgender individuals, as being in battle with these espoused by Sundance, Nikola means that the pageant can and has formed the state as a lot because the reverse.
“I think that one of the greatest powers of art is its ability to affect progress through new ideas,” mentioned Nikola. “But progress languishes in an echo chamber. There’s a need for the balance of ideas and progress that Sundance brings to Utah. One of the festival’s most important roles in our community is as a showcase of expression. And the impact that 40 years of the festival has had on our culture in Utah is undeniable. The stories that Sundance filmmakers share and explore are truly meaningful to this state and its residents.”
Together with a “two cities, one experience” idea for the mixed Salt Lake Metropolis/Park Metropolis bid is the thought of “Main Street to Main Street,” connecting the 2 cities by means of frequent shuttles and highlighting how Salt Lake Metropolis might replicate the walkable footprint of Park Metropolis’s Primary Avenue.
The Capital Theater in downtown Salt Lake Metropolis could be a key venue, as would its personal Eccles Theater (to not be confused with the Eccles Theatre already utilized in Park Metropolis) in addition to Abravanel Corridor (dwelling to the Utah Symphony), the Grand Theatre at Salt Lake Neighborhood School and a few of the native venues already utilized by the pageant, such because the Rose Wagner Heart.
“Sundance has grown exponentially from this smaller film festival into what it is today, which is one of the largest film festivals in the world,” mentioned Nikola. “And of course, as it’s grown, its needs have grown. Perhaps what happened is they looked at the needs of the festival and thought, ‘All right, let’s start to think about how we can do some of that.’ And we’re happy to be at the table working with them to reimagine what that looks like right here. We know that this history of the festival here in Utah is one of our biggest strengths, but connected with that is the innovating that we’re doing with this bid.”
Cincinnati 
A view of Cincinnati, which has lengthy been an lively movie manufacturing hub.
(Ben Wright / Movie Cincinnati)
Cincinnati‘s choice as host city would be arguably the most disruptive to the experience of Sundance as festivalgoers now know it. And an argument certainly could be made for doing something wholly new and different, with a change in climate, topography and even time zone.
But that doesn’t imply Ohio wouldn’t share something in widespread with Park Metropolis. A lot of the Cincinnati pageant expertise could be in a historic neighborhood often known as Over-the-Rhine.
“You might imagine Cincinnati is a big city, but when you’re in Over-the-Rhine, it can feel smaller and more connective and neighborly like a Park City,” mentioned Kristen Schlotman, president and CEO of native nonprofit group Movie Cincinnati. Schlotman additionally famous how the outlets and eating places alongside Cincinnati’s Race Avenue may very well be an analogue to the expertise of Park Metropolis’s Primary Avenue.
Cincinnati has been an lively manufacturing hub for years, with movies corresponding to Todd Haynes’ “Carol,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All,” David Gordon Inexperienced’s “Nutcrackers,” Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” and Kelly Reichardt’s upcoming “The Mastermind” all having shot within the space.
“When I read in April Sundance was looking outward for a new host city, I just immediately in my head was like, ‘God, Over-the-Rhine could be such a great home for this,’” mentioned Schlotman. “And you have a city that has a thriving film community but not a huge festival. It just seems like what a great opportunity to marry the two.”
Among the many venues that may very well be used for the pageant are the historic Cincinnati Music Corridor, the Emory Theatre (presently present process a renovation), Memorial Corridor, restored in 2016, and an area circuit of artwork homes.
Schlotman herself has been to Sundance on and off for nearly 30 years and is aware of the way it capabilities — and what might stand some enhancements, she thinks.
“If you’ve attended the festival, you sort of know how the mechanics work and the layout of it and the limitations,” mentioned Schlotman. “Considering those things, that’s why I was excited to put in a bid for Cincinnati, because if you’ve attended and you understand it, then you can sort of visualize and present what you think would be helpful.”
As for a way the native politics of Ohio would line up with these of Sundance, Schlotman was optimistic.
“I will tell you, even the governor sees the cultural importance of a festival like this moving here and what it does for the state of Ohio,” mentioned Schlotman. “Cincinnati is a blue city and makes Ohio a purple state. The importance that everyone has put on the arts has been one of the things that has kept the politics at bay. It’s just something that we’re so proud of and something that we invest in both as a city and a state. The politics of it or the worry of interference hasn’t ever been a factor in Cincinnati.”