The Sundance Film Festival, which began in Park City, Utah, in 1981, may be moving.
The festival is the premier platform for independent filmmakers and a launchpad for emerging talent, and has premiered groundbreaking films like Precious (2009) and Get Out (2017).
Atlanta, along with Athens and Savannah in Georgia, is among the 15 cities that are reportedly being considered to host the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027. This comes as part of the Sundance Institute’s initiative to explore new locations for its annual event.
“The Utah Sundance Film Festival Host Committee thanks the Sundance Institute for the opportunity to proceed to the next step in their RFP process for the 2027 film festival and beyond,” Virginia Pearce, the Utah Film Commission director, said in a statement. She emphasized Utah’s commitment to “re-imagining future festivals” and maintaining the festival’s longstanding ties to its origin state.
Pearce further highlighted the festival’s significant impact on Utah’s culture and economy, citing a “proven partnership in the film industry,” which has fostered growth and success over the past 40 years. “Most importantly, we believe that continuing in Utah will best assure the Sundance Film Festival’s continued growth and long-term success,” she added.
Atlanta’s bid for the Sundance Film Festival shows the city’s growing influence in the film and entertainment industry, often dubbed “Black Hollywood” and largely called the “Hollywood of the South.” Home to major film productions and a beautiful cultural scene, Atlanta has a robust infrastructure that can execute large-scale events like Sundance.
We look forward to seeing where the Sundance Film Festival lands.
