ATLANTA — The Sundance Film Festival, which has been based out of Utah for more than 40 years, announced in April that it is in the "process to explore viable locations in the United States to host the Sundance Film Festival beginning in 2027."
"It's a historic moment. The fact that Sundance, arguably the preeminent U.S.-based film festival, is even open to the idea of moving from their home state, it's a big and historic thing," Atlanta Film Society Executive Director Christopher Escobar said. "This doesn't really happen very often with film festivals even moving, unlike you see with sports teams or corporate headquarters or things like that. This really does not happen, and it's never happened for Sundance. So the fact they're even open to exploring this is huge."
Escobar, the owner of the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, is one of the people leading the charge during the Request for Information (RFI) process, which began on April 17 and closes on May 1. Then, the Request for Proposal (RFP) runs from May 7 to June 21.
He said this would be game-changing for the film industry in Atlanta.
"This is transformative in terms of people having a real shot of art," Escobar said. "Not just being the factory where films get made, but an opportunity where films are getting bought here, where people who don't normally get a chance to have their their voices heard and seen and invested in."
He added that this would also benefit the area as a whole, regardless of whether people are interested in film.
"We're talking about well over hundreds of millions of dollars of economic impact for one," Escobar said. "Really, really positive spends on hotels and restaurants and all that kind of stuff. Right? So that's huge. That's jobs."
The Sundance Institute reported at least 86,824 people attended the festival in 2023, which ran from January 19-29.
It said attendees redeemed 138,050 tickets, and around 21,400 of them were out-of-state visitors. During the festival, visitors from other states spent an estimated $97 million in Utah, according to Sundance Institute.
The Sundance Institute also reported the following regarding the festival's contribution to Utah's 2023 economy:
- $118.3 million in Utah's gross domestic product
- 1,608 jobs for Utah residents
- $63 million in Utah wages
- $12.8 million in state and local tax revenue
"We can do this," said Escobar when asked about Atlanta's chances of securing the festival. "The question is, at the end of the day, when it comes to the bid portion and what all has to be committed from a resources standpoint, 'Are we motivated enough? Are we going to come together in the way that we did for the Olympics?'"
Sundance reported the 2027 location selected will be announced late this year or early next.