Where Do Sundance Attendees Want the Film Festival to Land?
Standing in line outside the Eccles for the opening-night premiere of “Twinless,” a group of Park City locals affixed bright yellow stickers reading “KEEP SUNDANCE IN UTAH” to their badges. A small group of Sundance faithfuls — not even locals — spent the weekend handing out the stickers to anyone who would take one. They also carried an alternate option: “NO-HIO FOR SUNDANCE.” Clever.
But despite a cadre of folks who want to see their favorite film festival stay close by, the choices between finalists Salt Lake City, Boulder, and Cincinnati for Sundance’s new home beginning in 2027 have lobbyists on all sides of the divide. Festival attendees are just as split.
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What is known is that Sundance hasn’t made an official decision. At a press conference on Wednesday, January 22, Sundance director Eugene Hernandez said simply, “no, not yet.” An announcement will come later this winter or early in the spring, after the 2025 festival concludes and dates for the 2026 festival are announced. IndieWire additionally understands that no behind-the-scenes selection has been made yet either. Government officials from all three finalist locations have been in attendance early in the festival, including at Friday night’s Gala fundraiser.
Ask around though, and a solid case can be made for any of the three.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake is the preference among many attendees we spoke with — nostalgia is a powerful tool. Flying into Utah has an allure to it, and there’s a desire among many to keep Sundance in the West. The Uber drivers who make their way to and from Park City during the festival are on board, as Salt Lake City would solve some of the logistical problems of Park City. And a festival shuttle between the two locations could be a no-brainer addition.
Beyond the imperfect infrastructure, Park City’s lodging is expensive and competes with people there just to ski. Salt Lake City is significantly larger, and with or without Sundance, it’s proactively solving a potential housing issue. The Winter Olympics return to Salt Lake in 2034, which means that plans for more places to stay are already underway. And with a Salt Lake Sundance, some events can stay in Park City — potentially the labs or other events — though most likely not the core premieres.
One of the main reasons Sundance is leaving Park City in the first place is the increasingly prohibitive cost of attending the festival, especially for independent filmmakers looking to house their cast and crew, let alone young cinephiles who want to discover the festival for the first time. It’s not a problem unique to Sundance — just ask Telluride — but relocating to any of the three finalists could alleviate those expenses in the near term.
Cincinnati
Word on the street is Cincinnati’s film commissioners made a heck of a presentation to Sundance’s selection committee, answering all of the major logistical questions. And the Midwest city’s location makes it more attractive to some East coasters who have acknowledged the high cost of travel to Utah.
Already known among indie-film insiders, Cincinnati quietly has a strong film community, with recent films like “The Bikeriders,” “Nutcrackers,” “Shirley,” and more all filmed there. One producer told IndieWire that as his colleagues debated the location, Cincinnati sounded better and better over time. The producer posited that if Sundance is going to make a radical change, perhaps it’s best to get a completely fresh start in a spot like the Midwest.
But if you move to a big city, does Sundance get lost in the crowd? People come to Park City specifically for the festival, and while something like TIFF thrives in Toronto’s urban setting, one source opined that Sundance might not feel the same if you could hit up the Cheesecake Factory between screenings. One international filmmaker we spoke with wasn’t immediately sure what state Cincinnati is even in. (It’s the NO-HIO one.)
And some of those who do know Cincy don’t want to go to there, to alter a Liz Lemon (Tina Fey on “30 Rock”) favorite phrase.
“I’ve never stepped foot in Ohio, but I don’t think Cincinnati fits the vibe,” one buyer told us ahead of the festival. “I would hate for Sundance to lose that. There’s something special about us trudging in the snow and buyers not focusing on a market but actually seeing these films with real life audiences.”
Boulder
Among many attendees, Boulder checks more of those small mountain-town boxes. There’s a fresh crop of young people moving in each year to the college town, which as one buyer pointed out to us, means you won’t see the commercial real-estate boom that has priced people out of Sundance and Telluride. Boulder’s proximity to Denver also is a plus.
“It’s a 30-minute drive, and it today takes 30 minutes just to get up Main Street,” the buyer said. And because Boulder has proven able to throttle in traffic for 50,000-plus football fans to Buffalos games at Folson Field, crowd control won’t be an issue. “Look at what they’ve done with screening rooms at Telluride or the Library at Sundance. The college campus at Boulder has that tenfold.”
But the proximity to Telluride remains a nagging concern, with one fearing Sundance could become “Telluride-lite” should it also move to Colorado. Others have wondered if the dormitory town has enough available rentals for the influx of visitors a major film festival draws.
Regardless of where Sundance ends up, it will be sad to see the institution leave. Just as people began complaining about Main Street getting too crowded and hectic, the festival this year made it free and clear of cars, a welcome fix that reminded folks why Park City was so magical in the first place. Too little, too late. Wherever Sundance lands, in 2027, we’ll be able to put the geography aside and focus the lens back where it belongs — on the films.
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