Latest news with #EbsBurnough
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sundance is leaving Utah, moving to Colorado
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 25: The Egyptian Theatre marquee on Main Street is seen during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by,) A version of this story originally appeared in Utah News Dispatch. After more than four decades of calling Utah and Park City home, the Sundance Film Festival is leaving in 2027. The Sundance Film Institute announced on Thursday that festival organizers have decided to move to Boulder. The Colorado Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to a bill that would offer the film festival up to $34 million in tax credits over 10 years. The House already approved the bill, and the Senate will need to vote on it again before it goes to Gov. Jared Polis' desk for a signature. Utah was one of three finalists bidding to host Sundance after its contract expires following the 2026 festival. Earlier Thursday, news broke that organizers did not choose Cincinnati, leaving just Utah and Colorado in the running. Sundance's announcement later Thursday afternoon sealed the deal for Boulder. 'This decision was informed by a detailed evaluation of the key components essential to creating our Festival. During the process, it became clear that Boulder is the ideal location in which to build our Festival's future, marking a key strategic step in its natural evolution,' said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board Chair. Drama over Utah's bid to keep Sundance heats up over LGBTQ+ flag ban bill The decision also comes after some final-hour drama added a wrinkle to Utah's bid. The 2025 Utah Legislature approved a bill aimed at banning pride or LGBTQ+ flags in schools and all government buildings, which its supporters said is meant to promote 'political neutrality' in government spaces. Earlier this month, the Hollywood news site Deadline reported that bill, HB77, could pose 'an eleventh-hour obstacle to the Beehive State's hopes of keeping' Sundance. The outlet quoted an unnamed 'Sundance insider' expressing frustrations with the bill and calling it a 'terrible law, a terrible look for the state.' 'No matter what they say, we all know who it's aimed at — the LGBTQ+ community, and that's unacceptable,' the outlet quoted that insider saying. Colorado's Democratic governor, Jared Polis, a longtime Boulder resident, welcomed the announcement and highlighted the economic boost the festival is expected to bring to the state. 'I'm beyond excited to welcome the Sundance Film Festival to Colorado starting in 2027,' Polis said in a statement. 'Here in Colorado we also celebrate the arts and film industry as a key economic driver, job creator, and important contributor to our thriving culture. Now, with the addition of the iconic Sundance Film Festival, we can expect even more jobs, a huge benefit for our small businesses including stores and restaurants, and to help the festival achieve even greater success.' The announcement came after Utah's bid committee — made up of officials from Park City, Visit Park City, Summit County, Salt Lake County, Visit Salt Lake, the state of Utah, Salt Lake City and Utah's philanthropic community — spent nearly an entire year forming a bid package that included tens of millions in in-kind and cash public funding, plus even more in private commitments. Park City and Salt Lake City are both Democratic strongholds in an otherwise deeply conservative state. In total, Utah's bid included more than $54.1 million in public cash commitments over 10 years. That included an additional $24.9 million in new cash commitments over the life of a 10-year contract, on top of about $29.2 million that had already been committed to Sundance over 10 years, according to bid committee officials. That would have equaled nearly $2.8 million in new annual public funding committed to the film festival, on top of about $2.7 million that was already committed, bringing the total annual public cash that was on the table to more than $5.5 million a year for 10 years. The 2025 Utah Legislature appropriated $3.5 million in their budget this year for the film festival, upping the state's annual commitment by about $1.62 million a year. But it wasn't enough to entice Sundance to stay. 'Bye Felicia,' the Senate sponsor of the flag ban bill, Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, posted on X in response to the Deadline article. 'Sundance promotes porn. Sundance promotes alternative lifestyles. Sundance promotes anti-lds themes. Sundance does not fit in Utah anymore.' It's not clear how much the pride flag ban factored into festival organizers' decision to leave Utah. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has yet to sign or veto that bill, though Thursday is his deadline to act. He told reporters in a news conference last week Sundance organizers told leaders 'very clearly that political issues have nothing to do with the decision.' But Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, who was involved along with other city and state leaders on Utah's bid, told reporters Friday she worried that the flag ban could indeed jeopardize efforts to keep Sundance. 'I think there's a strong track record of bills that have changed the outcome of locations of major sporting events and major conventions,' she said. 'I think it would be harmful to our effort to retain Sundance.' She also reiterated calls for Cox to stop the bill in its tracks. 'My encouragement from my lips to God's ears is that Gov. Cox will veto HB77,' she said. 'It is not reflective of the values of this community, of our capital city, and I think of many of the businesses who choose to locate here because of the welcoming and inclusive culture of Salt Lake City. We are an asset to the state of Utah because of our welcoming position to diversity and LGBTQIA rights.' This story is developing and will be updated. Colorado Newsline's Lindsey Toomer contributed to this report. Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: info@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
NBC News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Sundance Film Festival moves to Boulder, Colorado, after over 40 years in Park City, Utah
The Sundance Film Festival will be making a move to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027 after more than 40 years in Park City, Utah, organizers announced Thursday. "Boulder offers small-town charm with an engaged community, distinctive natural beauty, and a vibrant arts scene, making it the ideal location for the Festival to grow," the Sundance Institute said in a news release. Sundance Institute Board Chair Ebs Burnough explained that this decision was 'informed by a detailed evaluation of the key components essential to creating our Festival.' 'We have a profound appreciation for the finalist cities and their communities — including Boulder, Colorado, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Salt Lake City, Utah — who presented overwhelmingly strong proposals and dedicated their time, passion, and commitment every step of the way," Burnough said.
CBS News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Sundance Film Festival moving to Boulder, Colorado. Organizer calls Boulder "the ideal location."
The iconic Sundance Film Festival will be moving from Park City, Utah to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027, the festival and the Colorado Governor's Office announced on Thursday. The search for a new host city has been years in the making, with the festival announcing the search in 2023 and several cities, including Boulder, as possible new hosts being announced last year. "Colorado is thrilled to welcome the Sundance Film Festival to its new home in Boulder starting in 2027," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. "Here in our state we celebrate the arts and film industry as a key economic driver, job creator, and important contributor to our thriving culture. Now, with the addition of the iconic Sundance Film Festival, we can expect even more jobs, a huge benefit for our small businesses including stores and restaurants." "This decision was informed by a detailed evaluation of the key components essential to creating our Festival. During the process, it became clear that Boulder is the ideal location in which to build our Festival's future, marking a key strategic step in its natural evolution," Sundance Institute Board Chair Ebs Burnough said. The Sundance Film Festival takes place every January. The Boulder Film Festival will likely be pushed back by about a month, officials behind that festival previously told CBS News Colorado . Utah was home to the international film festival for 42 years, but festival organizers said the festival has outgrown its home. Since entering the selection process, state and local leaders in Colorado have mounted considerable efforts to get the festival moved to Boulder, citing the city's concentration of artists, its history of culture, and the revenue benefits to the city and state. As part of Boulder's efforts to attract Sundance, the state legislature is considering up to $34 million in refundable tax credits, which would kick in by 2027, when Sundance is set to relocate here. Some state lawmakers oppose that move, however, with one saying it was unfair to ask the entire state to subsidize what would largely only benefit one community. Nonetheless, the efforts didn't stop there. City leaders in Boulder previously said that local hotels have already committed to capping room price increases during the 11-day event. A study by the State of Utah found Sundance had nearly 73,000 attendees in 2024, generating $132 million in economic output, $14 million in tax revenue, and $70 million in wages. "Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town. It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish. This is the beginning of a bold, new journey as we invite everyone to be part of our community and to be entertained and inspired," the Sundance Institute's acting CEO Amanda Kelso said. "We can't imagine a better fit than Boulder."
Los Angeles Times
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Sundance Film Festival picks Boulder as host city for 2027 and beyond
The Sundance Film Festival will move to Boulder, Colo., beginning with the 2027 edition, a transformative change for one of the independent film community's key annual events. Following a vote on Wednesday by the Sundance Institute's board of trustees, the city was chosen over the other two finalists, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City, Utah. 'There was overwhelming support for Boulder,' said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute's board chair, in an interview on Thursday morning. 'There certainly was robust conversation, but we as a board have been going through this process for about 18 months now, so there's been a lot of consistent conversation and an evolving conversation and evolving process.' 'One of the things that's really important to us is thinking about our ethos,' said Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute's acting CEO, on Thursday. 'And our ethos is steeped in this notion that Robert Redford had put forward in our founding principles, which is this idea of coming to a place for the Sundance Film Festival that has a sense of space and a sense of place. 'It's an awesome town,' added Kelso. 'It has this wonderful vibe to it. You can go hiking or biking nearby. But it's also an art town, it's a tech town, it's a college town. So it's a really vibrant place.' It was in April of last year that Sundance formally announced the possibility of leaving the festival's longtime home in Park City, Utah, when a contract with the city was up for renewal beginning in 2027. Some 67 locations submitted requests for information, while requests for proposals then were sent to 13 potential sites, with subsequent visits to six cities that were then narrowed down to the final three. The festival's move comes at a time when the film industry at large is also undergoing continued uncertainty at all levels, from production to distribution and exhibition. The community around Sundance has been deeply affected by evolving business issues. 'This is a festival that has been undergoing change for the past five years, and this is the next step,' said Eugene Hernandez, Sundance's festival director and head of public programming, on Thursday. 'Sundance as an institute and as a festival, in its commitment to artists, its commitment to being a festival of global discovery, is unchanged and unwavered. And yet at the same time, [it's been] an institute and a festival that has been willing and open to evolve.' In time, such Boulder venues as Macky Auditorium, the Boulder Theater and the Dairy Arts Center may become as familiar to Sundance attendees as the Eccles Theatre, Egyptian Theatre and Park City Library are to them now. 'I think this is a really important time for us as an institute, but specifically for the festival as well,' said Kelso. 'I think one of the things that we're so excited about is having the space to actually be more expansive in the way that we think about the festival. So this is an opportunity for us to give ourselves space for growth.' According to materials provided by Sundance Institute, the decision-making process included seven overarching focus areas: ethos, event capability, transportation, hospitality, inclusion and accessibility, financial sustainability and host partner support. Among the factors under consideration were whether there was at least one performance hall with capacity for 1300 people for film premieres, at least six screening spaces with capacities ranging from 150 to 1300, an international airport with direct flights from Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris within three hours of the location, lodging within a 25-mile radius for a peak of 30,000 people and any preexisting contracts that might overlap or impact infrastructure or operational capacity, such as the Olympics. Both Salt Lake City and Cincinnati were perceived as blue cities within red states, while Boulder is seen as a blue city in a blue state. With controversial legislative proposals now being considered in both Utah and Ohio that would be in conflict with the inclusive worldview that is an intrinsic part of Sundance, the move to Boulder seemingly lessens what could have been a source of increasing tensions for the festival. 'What we've been looking at is how do we evolve?' said Burnough. 'And one of the great things that Bob Redford instilled in our ethos as an institution is evolving and taking risks and not being afraid. And so politics hasn't weighed on us. We've always dealt with the politics as it comes. We loved all three of the cities that were the finalist cities. And they all showed up in really strong ways. But the alchemy that led us to Boulder was just a very special mix.' In a statement, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said, 'Here in our state we celebrate the arts and film industry as a key economic driver, job creator and important contributor to our thriving culture. Now, with the addition of the iconic Sundance Film Festival, we can expect even more jobs, a huge benefit for our small businesses including stores and restaurants.' In its more than 40 years in Utah, the Sundance Film Festival has helped boost filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Ava DuVernay, Steven Soderbergh, Ryan Coogler and countless others, while seeing the film industry through multiple eras of change. The festival will now try to create a new home in Boulder as it moves with the industry into an uncertain future. 'As change is inevitable, we must always evolve and grow, which has been at the core of our survival,' said Robert Redford, Sundance Institute president and founder, in a statement. 'This move will ensure that the festival continues its work of risk taking, supporting innovative storytellers, fostering independence, and entertaining and enlightening audiences. I am grateful to the Boulder community for its support, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the festival there.' The final Sundance Film Festival in Utah, with in-person events in Park City and Salt Lake City, will take place Jan. 22 to Feb. 1, 2026.
