Park City and Salt Lake City together are finalists for Sundance Film Festival
Jul 19, 2024, 11:00 AM
A view overlooking Park City is seen on the sixth day of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
(Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
SALT LAKE CITY — Park City and Salt Lake City are one step closer to remaining the home of the Sundance Institute.
On April 27, the Sundance Institute announced the renowned film festival was looking to “secure a sustainable future for our Festival.” Fifteen different cities, including Salt Lake City and Park City, threw their hats in the ring.
Eugene Hernandez, the Sundance Film Festival Director and director of public programming spoke to Heather Kelly, the host of the KSL Podcast Money Making Sense.
Hernandez said the list was whittled down to the final six potential cities. They are:
Atlanta, Georgia
Boulder, Colorado
Cincinnati, Ohio
Louisville, Kentucky
Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah
Santa Fe, New Mexico
When asked what a city can do to move into the winning position, Hernandez said, “We want the communities to tell us how we fit with them. This is a great time for the finalists to have dialogues with us and with their residents.”
FESTIVAL HISTORY AND FUTURE
This January will mark the 40th anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. The very first Festival took place in August of 1978; the version we know now began in 1985.
“Our main goal is to support, sustain, and help shine a spotlight on artists and their work,” Hernandez said.
Over the next year, Sundance will be looking closely at the six finalists and having many discussions. Hernandez said the festival has greatly enjoyed its partnership with Park for the last 40 years and hopes they can have another 40.
“However, we are looking for a sustainable future for our Festival,” Hernandez said.
In a press release, all the mayors and governors of the final six candidates said they were excited to have the opportunity to be the home of Sundance Film Festival.
Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, said his city “is diverse and inclusive for creatives, thinkers artists and storytellers.” The mayor said he believes Atlanta is aligned with the core values of the Festival.
The mayors of Park City and Salt Lake County, who are making a joint bid, said “we are committed to working in partnership of a new vision of ‘Two Cities, One Experience.’ “
SUNDANCE SUPPORTS LOCALS
The Sundance Institute is looking for community members who want a job in the film industry. Hernandez stated it can be anything from social media, to organizing events to working with filmmakers.
“Hiring locals is one way of supporting the community.” Hernandez said. “We also need a lot of volunteers during the film festival.”
You can find more information about jobs at this link.
Related:
Utah’s plan to retain Sundance Film Festival would split it between 2 cities
Sundance at capacity: People turned away from films during first weekend of film festival
