Utah leaders are talking up the possibility of creating a new film festival to fill the void after Sundance Film Festival abandons its decades-long home in 2027.
There are few details about what such a festival might look like, or when it could happen. But officials say the money that was pledged to keep Sundance in Utah could be diverted toward a new event.
The Sundance Institute announced Thursday that the Robert Redford-founded arts nonprofit would move its festival from Park City after the 2026 event and relocate to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.
In response to Sundance’s announcement, Gov. Spencer Cox wrote Thursday afternoon that “we have already begun meeting with partners, stakeholders, and creative voices to create a new festival — one that honors our legacy and writes the next chapter of independent film in Utah.”
Later that evening, Cox wrote in a letter to Utah’s legislative leaders that he would call a special session to deal with several issues — including a plan to remove the $3.5 million in the annual budget that was allocated toward keeping Sundance in Utah.
“Let’s reappropriate that money to efforts in Utah to create a new festival and a world-class film economy right here in our state,” Cox wrote.
Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission, said in a statement Friday, “Utah’s film community and state leaders are coming together to innovate surrounding future opportunities. This will take time and thoughtful exploration. We are excited about the opportunity to build on the strength of Utah’s film legacy and support our growing industry.”
Visit Park City and the Utah Arts Alliance both indicated that they had not been looped in, but the arts group said it’s been working on building a similar festival for some time.
Leaders in Utah’s business community quickly expressed support for a new festival.
Ryan Smith, the founder of Qualtrics and the owner of the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club, posted Thursday on the social media platform X that “building the Next Gen film festival in Utah sounds like a blast. The outpouring of people wanting to help support a fresh new experience starting from scratch is remarkable.”
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Smith added that his company, Smith Entertainment Group, “is 100% committed to joining Gov. Cox, the state, and local leaders to make this happen.”
Clint Betts, the CEO and co-founder of the nonprofit tech industry group Silicon Slopes, wrote on X Thursday that “I’m confident a world-class film festival will take place in Utah in 2027 and remain here permanently. The film industry in this state will be stronger than ever, and the tech industry will support it in every possible way.”
Utah’s bid to keep Sundance contained millions in pledges of support, according to figures from the Salt Lake City mayor’s office. Public funding — from state, county and municipal budgets — totaled $5.53 million in cash and $6.65 million in in-kind contributions. That’s up from the $2.75 million in cash and $3.72 million in in-kind contributions that Sundance received for the 2025 festival.
The bid also featured a $10 million lump sum payment from private contributors to Sundance if it signed a contract to keep the festival in Utah. That’s on top of the $3.5 million the state budget had set aside.
Sundance’s departure is expected to leave a mark on Utah’s economy. An economic impact study the Sundance Institute commissioned last year reported that the 2024 festival added $132 million to the state’s gross domestic product, and some $13.8 million in state and local tax revenue. Of the nearly 73,000 who attended that year, a third were from out of state.
Still, that leaves some 50,000 Utahns who attended Sundance screenings — and could be a target audience for a homegrown festival. Utah’s unsuccessful bid proposal also featured lists of possible venues and ways that different agencies would assist, which could be a road map for a new event.
(Sundance Institute) Director of the Sundance Film Festival and public programming Eugene Hernandez changes the marquee sign at The Egyptian in Park City during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Utah filmmaker Jenny Mackenzie, who has some Sundance experience, said she was skeptical that either a new Utah festival or the Boulder version of Sundance would carry the vibe that Park City and Sundance built together over four decades.
“The sequel is never as good as the original,” said Mackenzie, who teaches film production at Utah Valley University and whose documentary, “Quiet Heroes,” premiered at Sundance in 2018.
“Our audiences have grown up with this festival. We have embraced independent filmmaking,” Mackenzie said, adding that, “despite a variety of political challenges, the film community in Utah is thriving.”
Another Sundance alum, writer and director Jerusha Hess, said she and Jared Hess, her husband and frequent writing partner, have “so many amazing memories of Park City.”
The couple, who live in the Salt Lake City area, co-wrote “Napoleon Dynamite,” the offbeat comedy (directed by Jared Hess) that premiered at Sundance in 2004 and became a national sensation. Jerusha Hess had her own Sundance premiere in 2013, with the adaptation of Utah author Shannon Hale’s comic novel “Austenland.”
“We understand that the festival needed to make this change, but it feels like the hometown team was sold to the highest bidder,” she said Thursday, adding that she and her husband “are committed to making independent films in Utah.”
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— Tribune staff writer Jose Davila IV contributed to this report.
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