Latest news with #SundanceInstituteBoard
The Hill
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Sundance Film Festival moving to Boulder from Park City
The Sundance Film Festival announced that it will be moving from Park City, Utah – its home for over four decades – to Boulder, Colo., in 2027, according to its organizers. 'Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town. It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish,' Sundance Institute Acting CEO Amanda Kelso said in a Thursday press release. '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,' Kelso added. 'We can't imagine a better fit than Boulder.' The year-long process to find the next host included looking at the finalist cities's 'infrastructure, ethos and equity values, event capabilities' and how each spot could 'sustainably serve and support the Festival's ever-growing community of independent artists and audiences.' Apart from Boulder, a city with a population of 100,000 near Denver, the other two finalists were Cincinnati, Ohio and Salt Lake City, Utah. '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 influential movie festival, which was founded in 1978 by Robert Redford, will be hosted in the center of Boulder, with the institute looking to utilize various venues, theaters and spaces around the Pearl Street Mall. The annual festival draws a host of artists, celebrities and filmgoers who watch critically acclaimed movies. While Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) and Boulder's Mayor Aaron Brockett were thrilled with the organizer's choice, Utah's Gov. Spencer Cox (R) argued the decision to depart Utah is a 'mistake.' 'As I've said from the beginning, we wanted Sundance to stay. We made that clear to their leadership and put together a highly competitive package,' Cox wrote in a Thursday post on social media platform X. 'Ultimately, this decision is theirs to make — but I believe it's a mistake, and that one day, they'll realize they left behind not just a place, but their heritage.'
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
End of an era: Sundance to leave Park City for Boulder, Colorado in 2027
The Sundance Film Festival will be packing up and heading east to Colorado after over 40 years in Utah. The Sundance Institute announced Thursday that it will relocate the massive film festival to Boulder, Colorado, spitting away from the state it originated in. "Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town," Sundance Institute CEO Amanda Kelso said in a prepared statement. "It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish. ... We can't imagine a better fit than Boulder." Rumors swirled in the lead up to this announcement, with Park City Mayor Nann Worel, in the State of Park City address on Tuesday, saying the recent bill passed to ban political flags in government buildings, including the gay pride flag, and anti-Sundance comments by elected officials "have not been helpful in our bid to keep the festival here." Sen. Daniel McCay, R-Riverton, for example tweeted: "Sundance promotes porn. Sundance promotes alternative lifestyles. Sundance promotes anti-lds themes. Sundance does not fit in Utah anymore." Deadline reported a "Sundance insider" as saying "Utah is Utah, but this goes to the heart of the community Sundance has worked years and years to develop." Utah Gov. Spencer Cox responded last week, "If that person does care about making a difference on these issues, I don't know why leaving makes that better." Sundance officials say "politics was not a part" of its final decision. Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board chair, said it was instead based on "a detailed evaluation of the key components essential to creating our festival." Those criteria are ethos, event capability, transportation and hospitality, inclusion and accessibility, financial sustainability and host partner support. The annual event debuted as the Utah/United States Film Festival, which was first held in Salt Lake City in 1978. It eventually moved to Park City in 1981 and morphed into the Sundance Film Festival after the Sundance Institute took over. However, its future in Utah became uncertain as the institute's existing contract with Park City expires in 2026, which will now be the last year the festival is held in Utah, from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1. Shortly after taking over, Sundance Institute CEO Amanda Kelso said in April 2024 that the organization would undergo a selection process for a host city of the festival, starting in 2027. Six cities were chosen in June 2024, but Atlanta, Louisville, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, were cut from consideration in September, narrowing the field to Cincinnati, Boulder and Utah. Utah was initially framed as the incumbent to beat. Its bid would have split the global event between Park City and Salt Lake City. The two cities, along with state, county and private entities, banded together as part of a committee to retain the event. They were dejected when they were informed Thursday morning that they had lost, but they don't believe it was from a lack of effort. The team believed it had pieced together a "top-tier" offer to retain the global event, which included millions in new public funds, millions more in private funds and over two dozen potential venues. obtained an overview of the state's offer, which would have nearly doubled the annual in-kind and cash public funding over the next 10 years. In-kind funding would have jumped from $3.7 million to $6.6 million annually, while proposed cash amounts would have risen from $2.7 million to $5.5 million every year. The proposed increase would have been covered by a mix of public sources, including state funding and various local tax revenues split between Salt Lake and Summit counties. Most of the proposed money would have come from private sources, especially through a proposed shakeup in corporate sponsorships to improve revenue there. This was estimated to net $30.2 million annually over the next decade, or over $230 million over that time. The event could have been scattered all over Salt Lake City and Park City, as well. Thirty venues of varying sizes were proposed, 25 of which were in Utah's capital city. Most of these were the usual suspects, like the Egyptian Theatre in Park City and the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in downtown Salt Lake City. There were several other public venues offered up, including Abravanel Hall, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and Clark Planetarium. Committee members scouted every potential venue over the past year, finding support from private venues willing to open their space up for events. The Depot, Keys on Main and the State Room were among other potential Sundance venues. Visit Salt Lake also pitched a free "Main to Main" shuttle service that would run every 30 minutes, connecting eventgoers from Main Street in Salt Lake City to Main Street in Park City. However, it was not enough to convince the Sundance Film Festival to stay. Colorado passed a film festival tax incentive bill this year, securing $34 million in refundable tax credits over a decade, if Sundance began the relocation process by Jan. 1, 2026. The University of Colorado Boulder also played a big role in the bid, with mentorship opportunities for students and an accomplished film faculty, according to Colorado Public Radio. "We have a real homegrown audience that's into more artistic cinema," CU professor and filmmaker Kelly Sears told Boulder Weekly. " I think there is a big population that is eager for cinema that skews toward the margins here." The walkable Pearl Street mall was attractive to the institute, according to the release. Festivalgoers will likely feel right at home at the historic art-deco Boulder Theater, which happens to be the spitting image of the Egyptian. It is unclear how the move will affect the already established Boulder International Film Festival, the First Person Cinema and International Film Series, and other smaller festivals that have flourished there. Sundance founder Robert Redford released a statement, saying, "Words cannot express the sincere gratitude I have for Park City, the state of Utah, and all those in the Utah community that have helped to build the organization. What we've created is remarkably special and defining." This story might be updated.
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."
