Sundance Film Festival tickets now on sale, including specials for locals
Oct 23, 2024, 3:00 PM | Updated: 3:23 pm
FILE - The Egyptian Theatre is pictured on the eve of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in Park City, Utah. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
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SALT LAKE CITY — While the Sundance Film Festival is still deciding on its long-term host for 2027 and beyond, Utah will be home to the fest for at least 2025 and 2026.
Tickets for next year’s festival — scheduled for Jan. 23 to Feb. 2 in 2025 — went on sale Wednesday morning.
Utah residents have special ticket options, as do student-age filmgoers. Senior programmer Basil Tsiokos is in the middle of the film—selection process as his team sorts through thousands of films. He said he wants those films to screen with audiences, not just programmers.
Related: A close look at the film industry in Utah
“We think that the films that we’re showing are films that want to connect with real people,” Tsiokos said. “Not just industry, not just press. We want to make sure that we’re building up our audience … in order to make sure those films are reaching real people.”
He said part of that initiative is bringing new people to Sundance. The fest doesn’t want to rely on the idea that the same people will come back year after year.
“We want younger people there,” he said.
Packages reflect the non-profit Sundance Institute’s efforts to offer tickets at inviting price points for young audiences with an emphasis on ages 18-25 and to have Salt Lake City offerings as well. Utah, as one of three finalists in the long-term host selection process, can offer local packages for the next two years, as Boulder, Colorado and Cincinnati, Ohio tries to lure the festival away. In the bid process, Salt Lake City joined Park City in a two-city approach, also supported by Salt Lake County.
The Sundance Institute said the three finalists were assessed on “ethos and equity values, infrastructure, and capabilities to host the festival.” It also said the destinations making the final cut demonstrated how they would foster the diverse Sundance community. As well as inspire the next generation of independent filmmakers.
