Sundance Film Festival leaves Utah in 2027 to Colorado

The Sundance Film Festival has a new home.

After four decades in Park City and a one-year search process, to find a new location after his current contract, the beloved indie film festival on the way to Boulder, Colorado, drives many other locations because of his iteration 2027, especially the finalists Cincinnati and Salt Lake City, of which the latter would contain some operations in Park City. The new contract with the city of Boulder and the state of Colorado will be for 10 years, confirmed Sundance official.

“Since change is inevitable, we have to keep developing and growing what was the focus of our survival. This step will ensure that the festival continues its work of the risk, supports innovative storytellers, promotes independence and the audience is entertaining and informative,” said Sundance Institute, President and founder Robert Redford, Robert Redford. “I am grateful for your support for your support and look forward to seeing what the future contains for the festival.”

In recent years, Park City has been seen as less as a hospitable home. Many agencies and studios have sent far fewer people to Park City, where the apartment for Sundance can easily use tens of thousands of dollars, since Hollywood has tightened its belt due to the industry -wide cost reduction. The locals have always become tired of the influx of people into their small city, with public transport being co -opted and flooded a time -rich time with the peak season season.

72,840 people visited the festival in 2024, according to Sundance, from which a third traveled from outside the state. This is compared with 116,800 people in 2020, the last year of the festival, before the pandemic only put the festival online for the next two years.

Finding the new home of Sundance was a one -year affair to which the finalists of 67 cities were held, which sent comprehensive information. Practical considerations taken into account (several industries recorded that there was only one direct flight every day from Lax to Cincinnati), public transport, housing construction and naturally available cinema. At least one event location needed a capacity of 1,300 for film premiere. Sundance visited the locations of the finalists several times and tested the infrastructure.

The festival is now served by the International Airport Denver with several non-stop flights from 46 states and many international locations. Since Boulder is a college city, hotels are plenty of and Sundance says that it works with hotels to ensure stable prices without any levels during the festival. The non -profit organization also found that the nearby state school, the University of Colorado Boulder, enables local and committed youth audience. The city has long been with the Boulder International Film Festival, which was launched in 2005 and has since expanded more than 20,000 guests a year since then. It is unclear how the move to the competing festival will affect.

Sundance refused to comment on details of potential tax and other financial incentives offered by his new guest state. CEO tells EBS Burnough The Hollywood reporter“What we say is that each of the finalists has brought their best to the table in every possible way.”

As for aesthetics like Park City, Boulder offers a beautiful natural environment with the Rocky Mountains. Amanda Kelso, reigning CEO of Sundance, tells, Th.“One of the things that are so important for us what we see from Robert Redford’s idea of ​​our founding principles and our mission is the idea of ​​celebrating in a place that has a feeling for space, as well as a feeling of place. And one of the things that are so beautiful on boulders is that they are surrounded by the flat iron. It is just a beautiful city.”

One concern of the festival veterans of the move was the potential policy of a new place for the film festival, which focused on the free expression and is known to seek the challenging films. Utah, a conservative state, has also become increasingly enemy of inclusion. The legislator of Utah has recently passed a legislation in which LGBTQ+ flags of government buildings and schools are to be banned. This was followed by an earlier law that prevented transgender people from using the bathroom and changing rooms that correspond to their gender identity.

While the movements may not have a direct influence on the everyday life of the festival, the conservative ideology behind it is in strong contrast to Sundances mission and the basic values ​​as well as the amount that it houses it every year. Local politicians have also made their message loud and clear in the past few days. Daniel McCay, a senator of the US state of Utah, who represents South Salt Lake and North Utah Counties, put the festival on X by publishing: “Bye Felicia … Sundance promotes porn. Sundance promotes alternative lifestyles.

Sundance Leadership said that local politics was not a consideration when looking for the new home of the festival. “We have been in Utah for 40 years, so it’s not as if we are examining every bill that is adopted,” says Burnough. “This was really a search for the development of the Sundance film festival and how we continue our mission, support artists and to engage the audience. So I will be honest, politics was not a factor when we looked at it.”

The governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, offered in an explanation: “Here in our state we celebrate the art and film industry as an important business driver, workers’ creator and an important contribution to our flourishing culture. Now we can expect more jobs with the legendary Sundance film festival, a great advantage for our small business, including the shops and restaurants.”

With the festival on the way to Boulder in 2027, the last year of the festival in Park City takes place in 2026, with a final arc for January 22nd. 1.

“I’ve been to this festival for almost 35 years. Park City is such an important part of the history of the Sundance Film Festival,” says festival director Eugene Hernandez and adds the future: “(Boulder) is a place where we can build. This is a place in which fundamental and Alignes with Sundance is so beautiful.”