How real is the possibility of Sundance Film Festival moving to Atlanta?

Caption

A Plaza Theatre marquee photo for the Atlanta Film Festival.

Credit: Courtesy Atlanta Film Festival

After roughly 40 years in Park City, Utah, the Sundance Film Festival is looking for a new home – and Atlanta might be in the running. 

Chris Escobar, executive director of the Atlanta Film Society and owner of the Plaza and Tara Theatres, announced the decision to put Atlanta’s name in the ring to be the new home of Sundance to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on April 26 ahead of the Atlanta Film Festival. 

Founded by actor and director Robert Redford, the major independent film festival has called Utah home for decades, beginning with the festival’s original iteration – the Utah Film Festival, and then later the U.S. Film Festival – in 1978. The festival moved from Salt Lake City to Park City in 1981, then later became part of Redford’s Sundance Institute, which assumed creative control of the festival in 1985.

But with the festival’s current contract set to expire after the 2026 event, Sundance announced it was opening up a bidding process for a possible new city to call homein 2027. Escobar said as soon as he heard the news, the possibility of Atlanta becoming that home began to form. 

“I was hearing from filmmakers, from people in and around the film society, people in the industry, from people connected to the city,” he said. “Anyone who cares about film had an eye-opening moment. Because this is kind of historic.” 

While some local filmmakers expressed excitement about the possibility, there is some concern that this is nothing more than a play by the festival to get a better deal with Park City. Director Raymond Wood, whose film “Faceless After Dark” just played at the Atlanta Film Festival, said he thought that while moving the festival to Atlanta could put some force behind supporting the creative development of indie filmmakers locally, he was cynical about this particular dream actually coming true. 

“It’s hard to imagine this amounting to much more than a tactic to negotiate a better deal with Park City when it comes time to renew their contract in 2026,” Wood said in an email. “Unlike other world-renowned institutions such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the World Cup, the Sundance Film Festival is historically and culturally linked with a particular city, and that experience in that location has become a cornerstone of the festival’s legacy.”

Escobar said that when he first heard the news, he had a similar reaction. But as he’s worked through the possibility with the city, he’s become more convinced that there is an actual chance. While Sundance has been a boon economically for Park City – out-of-state visitors reportedly spent $96 million during the 2023 festival, which contributed $118.3 million to Utah’s gross domestic product – concerns about congestion, development and the way film festival-going has changed post-pandemic are reportedly part of the reasons for considering a switch. 

Park City Mayor Nann Worel told WBAL TV that she does not want the festival to leave. 

“We appreciate our partnership with Sundance, and we want the festival to remain here for another 40 years,” she said.

For Escobar’s part, he said from his own experiences at the festival, space is a major issue. In recent years, the festival has expanded to include showings in Salt Lake City.

“It’s full. It’s over capacity,” he said. “There is nowhere else to put screenings, to put people, to sleep overnight. It’s hard to get a table in a restaurant.”

While concerns about traffic and transportation are always on the table when it comes to hosting large-scale events in Atlanta (Park City offers a free shuttle that hits every venue in town), Escobar said his major concern was the amount of money the state and city would be willing to spend.

Historically, Georgia has ranked dead last in arts funding in the United States. According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Georgia spends just 14 cents per person with an arts budget of roughly $1.5 million. By comparison, Utah ranks 13th, spending $2.33 per person with a budget of about $7.9 million. 

“Sundance gets a sizable amount of money from the state of Utah, from the city of Park City, from the county,” Escobar said. “The fact that we are dead last in arts funding is not an advantage, I’ll say that.” 

Escobar said that the mayor’s office has been heavily involved in this process. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment. 

Filmmaker Aaron Strand said having Sundance in Atlanta could help transform the city’s status in the film world, helping Georgia evolve from a place where film productions come to stock up on crew to a place where local indie film talent is fostered. 

“But while the festival would be a tremendous opportunity for local filmmakers, producers, and financiers, Atlanta is an equally big opportunity for Sundance,” Strand said in an email. “Our city is the most vibrant yet undiscovered incubator for independent film in the country. PERIOD. Bringing the festival here would not only reaffirm Sundance’s commitment to truly independent voices but would help position it as the premier platform for the next generation of American cinematic artists.” 

Sundance is requiring Requests for Information (RFIs) from interested cities to be submitted by May. A Request for Proposal process will take place from May 7 to June 21 to assess potential locations. A final decision could be made as soon as late this year. 

“We held the Olympics,” Escobar said. “We can do this.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.