Sundance Reveals 2027 Host City Contenders

Signage and preparations before the start of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 18, 2024. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

The Sundance Institute has revealed a shortlist of cities vying to host the Sundance Film Festival in 2027 and beyond.

The six finalists are Atlanta, Georgia; Boulder, Colorado; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In an announcement, Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez said, “We are looking forward to conversations that center supporting artists and serving audiences as part of our mission and work at Sundance Institute, and are motivated by our commitment to ensure that the Festival continues to thrive culturally, operationally, and financially as it has for four decades.”

With the festival’s contract in Park City up for renewal in 2027, the Sundance Institute has initiated a comprehensive process to evaluate potential future host cities. This includes the request for information (RFI) phase, which gathers logistical details from potential locations.

Mr. Hernandez emphasized the importance of inclusivity, sustainability, and supporting independent storytellers in this decision-making process.

The selection committee will visit these cities in the coming weeks for site visits, with a final location expected to be announced by the end of this year or during the first quarter of 2025.

As part of an extensive review of each potential site, the institute has already evaluated the infrastructure, ethos, equity values, and event-hosting capabilities of the cities. Each finalist needed to demonstrate how they would embrace and continue to nurture the Sundance community and the culture of independent creativity integral to the institute and festival experience.

Locals have long discussed the possibility of moving the festival out of Park City due to its strain on the small town during the busy ski season. The festival transforms Park City into a bustling hub of screenings, panels, parties, and discussions.

Sundance has already expanded screenings and events to Salt Lake City in recent years.

The festival will continue in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2025 and 2026.

Staple For Independent Film Screenings

The festival has received a record-breaking 17,000 submissions from 153 countries this year, highlighting the vitality of the independent film industry.

Founded in 1978 by actor Robert Redford, the festival—renowned for showcasing innovative, thought-provoking films by emerging filmmakers—typically occurs in January.

Robert Redford attends the opening day press conference of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan.21, 2016. (Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images)

The festival screens a diverse range of films, including feature-length narratives, documentaries, shorts, and experimental works. Many of these films go on to receive critical acclaim and commercial success.

Films compete in various categories, such as the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and World Cinema Documentary Competition, with winners often securing distribution deals.

Sundance attracts industry professionals, including producers, distributors, agents, and journalists, offering filmmakers opportunities to network, pitch projects, and negotiate deals.

Sundance has launched the careers of many renowned filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and Ava DuVernay.