LOS ANGELES — The annual Slamdance Film Festival will permanently move to Los Angeles, beginning in 2025. The next edition of the festival will run Feb. 20-26, and be based at the Landmark Theatres Sunset and the DGA Theater Complex, both in West Hollywood.

Slamdance is leaving its longtime home in Park City, Utah, and also its spot on the calendar concurrent with the Sundance Film Festival. Slamdance was established in 1995 by a group of filmmakers who had been rejected by Sundance's programmers.

Though Slamdance has long had offices in Los Angeles, moving the festival away from Utah and its overlapping dates with Sundance will start a new chapter in the festival's history.

"We felt that there was space for us in the Los Angeles melting pot to really contribute and to continue the mission of what Slamdance is all about — discovering filmmakers," said Peter Baxter, president and co-founder of Slamdance.

"There have always been opportunities that we've created for filmmakers in Park City, but L.A. is a place where there are actually greater opportunities for Slamdance to grow," Baxter added. "We've been trying very hard to make our festival accessible and inclusive, and that also has to do with socioeconomics. A lot of audience members find going to film festivals quite expensive, and for filmmakers themselves, going to Park City is also a considerable expense."

Slamdance plans to offer in-person festival passes starting at $50 and to have some programs free to the public.

The news of Slamdance moving to Los Angeles comes at a time when Sundance's commitment to Park City is under scrutiny. Sundance recently announced that it is accepting applications from other potential host cities for its 2027 edition, when its current contract with Park City is up for renewal. (Sundance representatives declined to comment for this story.) Baxter said that Slamdance's move to Los Angeles was unrelated to whether Sundance stays in Park City.

Though the two festivals have remained in certain ways intertwined over the years, Slamdance has come into its own. "They have established their own identity with the work that they do within the industry with additional screenings and grants," said a festival veteran, speaking on condition of anonymity in light of relationships with both Sundance and Slamdance. "They're not just the anti-Sundance that they were in the first five or 10 years. Having been around as long as they have, now they are an institution in their own right."

Slamdance alumni have gone on to some of the highest positions in Hollywood. Filmmakers who had their early work shown at the festival include Christopher Nolan, Joe and Anthony Russo, Rian Johnson and Marc Forster, meaning that directors in the DC, Marvel, Star Wars and James Bond franchises all have roots at Slamdance.

Other notable Slamdance alumni include Gina Prince-Bythewood, Lena Dunham, the Safdie brothers, Sean Baker, Merawi Gerima and "Parasite" Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho.

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