LOS ANGELES — Hanging over this year's Sundance Film Festival is the question of where the event will move for 2027's edition. Officials at the Sundance Institute are expected to make an announcement regarding their new host city by early spring, choosing from the final three possibilities of Boulder, Colorado, Cincinnati or a combined Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah.

However the decision shakes out, this year marks the beginning of the end for Sundance as it has been known for more than 40 years, as hopeful filmmakers and an industry hungry for something new make their way to a remote mountain ski town to discover and be discovered.

The challenge for the festival will be how to meet the demands of change while holding onto that certain indescribable something that makes the festival so special.

"The Sundance Film Festival has been in a period of evolution for 5 years now, since the pandemic uprooted institutions and audience behavior back in 2020," said festival director Eugene Hernandez via email. "Each year has felt special, unique and singular and we'll see that continue through the move to a new home in 2027.

"Whether the Festival is anchored in Boulder, Cincinnati, or Salt Lake in 2027, Sundance will be Sundance wherever we go," Hernandez added. "This year will be special in the wake of the recent tragedies in Los Angeles and as our community looks ahead, and I know that next year's fest, the final year HQ'd in Park City will be one to remember. Not to be missed."

The three finalists were narrowed down from six after Atlanta, Louisville, Kentucky, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, were dropped from the running.

According to a press release when the three finalist cities were announced, the qualities being considered include "ethos and equity values, infrastructure, and capabilities to host the Festival, in addition to demonstrating ways in which they will continue to foster the diverse Sundance community and inspire the next generation of independent filmmakers."

While taking on an event as logistically complicated as Sundance may seem like nothing but headaches, one can appreciate why it would be considered of value to these potential host cities, in terms of both cultural prestige and revenue.

Sundance Institute's economic impact report for the 2024 festival stated that more than 141,000 tickets were sold, which, combined with online viewership, came to a total of more than 361,000. The festival attracted 72,840 unique in-person attendees with approximately 24,200 coming from out of state. Those out-of-state visitors spent an estimated $106.4 million in Utah during the festival. And 1,730 jobs were generated for Utah residents, contributing $69.7 million in wages and generating $13.8 million in state and local taxes.

Checking in with bid representatives from each city, here is some insight into the possible future of Sundance.

Boulder

Home to the University of Colorado Boulder as well as the Boulder International Film Festival, the city has a vibrant arts community, with the third-highest concentration of professional artists per capita in the nation, according to the National Endowment for the Arts.

A Sundance in Boulder could feature the Art Deco Boulder Theater, originally opened in 1936, as well as the Macky Auditorium on the university's campus and numerous other venues in and around town. As for where people would stay, there are already many hotels, with new construction underway. Boulder also is relatively close to Denver.

"I think we bring to the table an environment that's probably closest to what the original founders intended Sundance to be," said Bruce Borowsky, film commissioner for Boulder County. "In other words, something close to nature. Something that has the kind of politics that allows for people to tell stories that might not be mainstream. We're very lucky to have a community here that's very progressive and accepting. And I think those are two of the big ideals that Sundance is all about."

Boulder has a long history of social movements and issued the first same-sex marriage license granted in the United States in 1975.

"When we talk about politics," said Borowsky, "I feel that the politics of Boulder and generally the state of Colorado are much more in line with the politics that the founders of Sundance had in mind when they started the festival. To be inclusive would be the the main word that I would use."

Borowsky acknowledged that, at least initially, there will be people skeptical of a Sundance anywhere but in its longtime home.

"I know there will be some people that will probably be disappointed that it's going to leave Park City," said Borowsky of the possible response were Boulder to win its bid. "But I think once they come to Boulder, if they've never been here before, they'll be extremely excited about coming to our town."

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is already host to numerous Sundance events during the festival. The city also has been named to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, promising further investment in local infrastructure.

Bringing together stakeholders from Salt Lake City, Park City, Salt Lake County, Summit County and the state of Utah, the combined bid of Salt Lake City and Park City attempts to capitalize on having already been home to the festival for more than 40 years while also finding ways to improve the experience.

"It's been an incredible opportunity to reimagine the future of what Sundance looks like here," said Lindsey Nikola, deputy chief of staff for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. "There's much potential and we've been so inspired by what the years ahead look like. We've all really come together to put our best resources together and all of our best ideas together to show Sundance how much they mean to us and how much we want them to stay."

While some may see the politics of the state of Utah, including controversial restrictions on public bathrooms for transgender people, as being in conflict with those espoused by Sundance, Nikola suggests that the festival can and has shaped the state as much as the reverse.

"I think that one of the greatest powers of art is its ability to affect progress through new ideas," said Nikola. "But progress languishes in an echo chamber. There's a need for the balance of ideas and progress that Sundance brings to Utah. One of the festival's most important roles in our community is as a showcase of expression. And the impact that 40 years of the festival has had on our culture in Utah is undeniable. The stories that Sundance filmmakers share and explore are truly meaningful to this state and its residents."

Along with a "two cities, one experience" concept for the combined Salt Lake City/Park City bid is the idea of "Main Street to Main Street," connecting the two towns through frequent shuttles and highlighting how Salt Lake City could replicate the walkable footprint of Park City's Main Street.

The Capital Theater in downtown Salt Lake City would be a key venue, as would its own Eccles Theater (not to be confused with the Eccles Theatre already used in Park City) as well as Abravanel Hall (home to the Utah Symphony), the Grand Theatre at Salt Lake Community College and some of the local venues already used by the festival, such as the Rose Wagner Center.

"Sundance has grown exponentially from this smaller film festival into what it is today, which is one of the largest film festivals in the world," said Nikola. "And of course, as it's grown, its needs have grown. Perhaps what happened is they looked at the needs of the festival and thought, 'All right, let's start to think about how we can do some of that.' And we're happy to be at the table working with them to reimagine what that looks like right here. We know that this history of the festival here in Utah is one of our biggest strengths, but connected with that is the innovating that we're doing with this bid."

Cincinnati

Cincinnati's choice as host city would be arguably the most disruptive to the experience of Sundance as festivalgoers now know it. And an argument certainly could be made for doing something wholly new and different, with a change in climate, topography and even time zone.

But that doesn't mean Ohio wouldn't share anything in common with Park City. Much of the Cincinnati festival experience would be in a historic neighborhood known as Over-the-Rhine.

"You might imagine Cincinnati is a big city, but when you're in Over-the-Rhine, it can feel smaller and more connective and neighborly like a Park City," said Kristen Schlotman, president and CEO of local nonprofit organization Film Cincinnati. Schlotman also noted how the shops and restaurants along Cincinnati's Race Street could be an analogue to the experience of Park City's Main Street.

Cincinnati has been an active production hub for years, with films such as Todd Haynes' "Carol," Luca Guadagnino's "Bones and All," David Gordon Green's "Nutcrackers," Jeff Nichols' "The Bikeriders" and Kelly Reichardt's upcoming "The Mastermind" all having shot in the area.

"When I read in April Sundance was looking outward for a new host city, I just immediately in my head was like, 'God, Over-the-Rhine could be such a great home for this,'" said Schlotman. "And you have a city that has a thriving film community but not a huge festival. It just seems like what a great opportunity to marry the two."

Among the venues that could be used for the festival are the historic Cincinnati Music Hall, the Emory Theatre (currently undergoing a renovation), Memorial Hall, restored in 2016, and a local circuit of art houses.

Schlotman herself has been to Sundance on and off for almost 30 years and is familiar with how it functions — and what could stand some improvements, she thinks.

"If you've attended the festival, you sort of know how the mechanics work and the layout of it and the limitations," said Schlotman. "Considering those things, that's why I was excited to put in a bid for Cincinnati, because if you've attended and you understand it, then you can sort of visualize and present what you think would be helpful."

As for how the local politics of Ohio would line up with those of Sundance, Schlotman was optimistic.

"I will tell you, even the governor sees the cultural importance of a festival like this moving here and what it does for the state of Ohio," said Schlotman. "Cincinnati is a blue city and makes Ohio a purple state. The importance that everyone has put on the arts has been one of the things that has kept the politics at bay. It's just something that we're so proud of and something that we invest in both as a city and a state. The politics of it or the worry of interference hasn't ever been a factor in Cincinnati."

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