Standing in line outside Eccles for the opening evening’s premiere of “Twinless” Sundance In Utah ”to their brands. A small group of Sundance -believer – not even the locals – spent the weekend handing out the stickers to anyone who would take one. They also wore an alternative alternative: “NO-Hio for Sundance.” Good.
But despite a cadre of people who want to see their favorite film The festival stops nearby, the choices between Finalists Salt Lake City, Boulder and Cincinnati for Sundance’s New Home From 2027, lobbyists have all sides of the gap. Festival participants are equally divided.
What is known is that Sundance has not made an official decision. At a press conference on Wednesday, January 22, Sundance director Eugene Hernandez simply said: “No, not yet.” An announcement will come later this winter or early spring, after the 2025 festival has been completed and the date for the 2026 festival is announced. In addition, Indiewire understands that no selection behind the scenes has been made yet. Government officials from all three finalists have been present early at the festival, including at Friday night’s gala collection.
However, ask around, and a solid case can be made for one of the three.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake is the preference among many participants we talked to – nostalgia is a powerful tool. Flying into Utah has a allure, and there is a desire among many to keep Sundance in the west. The Uber drivers who get to and from Park City during the festival are on board, as Salt Lake City would solve some of the logistical problems in Park City. And a festival bus between the two places can be a supplement without brainer.
In addition to the imperfect infrastructure, Park City’s accommodation is expensive and competes with people there just to ski. Salt Lake City is considerably larger, and with or without Sundance it is proactive to solve a potential housing problem. Winter -Os returns to Salt Lake 2034, which means that the plans for more places to live are already ongoing. And with a salty Lake Sundance, some events can stay in Park City – potentially the laboratories or other events – although they probably do not have the premieres.
One of the main reasons for Sundance leaving Park City is primarily the increasingly insurmountable cost of participating in the festival, especially for independent filmmakers who want to house their roles and crew, even less young Cinephiles who want to discover the festival for the first time. It is not a problem that is unique to Sundance – Just ask Telluride – But moving to one of the three finalists can alleviate these expenses in the short term.
Cincinnati
The word on the street is Cincinnati’s film commissioners made a presentation to the Sundance’s Selection Committee and answered all the major logistics questions. And Midwest City’s location makes it more attractive for some eastern basings that have recognized the high travel costs to Utah.
Cincinnati has already known among Indiefilm, Cincinnati has a strong film community, with the latest films like “The Bikers”, “Nutcrackers”, “Shirley” and more filmed there. A producer told Indiewire that when his colleagues discussed the place, Cincinnati sounded better and better over time. The producer claimed that if Sundance is going to make a radical change, it may be best to get a whole new start to a place like the Midwest.
But if you move to a big city, Sundance gets lost in the crowd? People come to Park City specifically for the festival, and while something that TIFF is happy in Toronto’s urban environment, a source said that Sundance may not know the same thing if you could look up the cheese cake factory between views. An international filmmaker that we talked to was not immediately sure what the state of Cincinnati is even in. (That’s the NO-Hio.)
And some of those who know that Cincy does not want to go there, to change a Liz Lemon (Tina Fey on “30 rock”) favorite phrase.
“I’ve never trampled my foot in Ohio, but I don’t think Cincinnati is suitable for Vibe,” a buyer said before the festival. “I would hate for Sundance to lose it. There is something special that we are tangled in the snow and buyers who do not focus on a market but actually see these films with real audiences. “
Erratic
Among many participants, Boulder controls more of the small mountain towns. There is a new harvest of young people who move in each year to the university city, as a buyer pointed out to us, means that you will not see the commercial real estate boom that has priced people from Sundance and Telluride. Boulders proximity to Denver is also a plus.
“It’s a 30-minute drive, and today it takes 30 minutes just to get up Main Street,” the buyer said. And since Boulder has been shown to be able to strangle in traffic for 50,000 plus football fans for Buffalos games at Folson Field, Crowd Control will not be a problem. “Look at what they have done with screening rooms at Telluride or the library at Sundance. College campus on Boulder has it tenfold. ”
But the proximity to Telluride is still an annoying concern, with a fear Sundance can become “Telluride-Lite” if it also moved to Colorado. Others have wondered if the sleeping room has enough available rents for the influx of visitors that a large film festival draws.
No matter where Sundance ends, it will be sad to see the institution leave. Just as people began to complain that Main Street became too crowded and hectic, the festival this year made it free and completed carsA welcome fix that reminded people why Park City was so magical in the first place. Too little, too late. Regardless of where Sundance lands in 2027, we will be able to put the geography aside and focus the lens back where it belongs – on the movies.
