The Sundance Institute has announced a list of seven finalist cities as potential locations for the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. The cities include the current hosts, Park City and Salt Lake City in Utah, as well as Atlanta, Cincinnati, Boulder in Colorado, Louisville in Kentucky, and Santa Fe in New Mexico. The selection was based on each city's infrastructure, event capabilities, and their ability to support the diverse Sundance community and independent creativity culture.
Eugene Hernandez, the festival's director, stated that these cities have creative ecosystems that either are established or expanding. Moreover, these cities align with the festival's key values and have shown possible prospects of partnership and support for the festival's artists, audiences, and other participants.
Although the festival will continue to be held in Park City and Salt Lake City for 2025 and 2026, the selection committee will visit the shortlisted cities in the coming weeks to further explore the possibilities. The committee pointed out Cincinnati's strong independent film culture, Louisville's diverse community with a focus on arts and culture, Santa Fe's vibrant film community and tourism location, and Boulder's emphasis on sustainability. Atlanta, a large film production hub, was commended for its high equity index as well as the skilled industry workforce. Meanwhile, Salt Lake City and Park City were recognized for their thriving economy, growing population, and increasing diversity.
Ebs Burnough and Amanda Kelso from the Sundance Institute expressed that the selected finalist cities provide the best opportunity to secure a sustainable future for the Festival and to build on its legacy. The officials were also optimistic of the cities' prospects and expressed their desire for Sundance to choose their regions.
Throughout the process, the festival engaged in discussions with various city officials and local leaders around the country. They appreciated the enthusiasm shown by cities for the festival and the heartfelt energy put into each proposal. The final decision is expected to play a vital role in the sustainable future of the Festival.
