Where is Sundance going? All is quiet as Atlanta and Savannah compete for the festival

Christopher Escobar, executive director of the Atlanta Film Society which operates the Atlanta Film Festival, broke the news to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of Atlanta’s interest in Sundance on April 26. On Monday, he declined to comment, deferring to the city of Atlanta. spokesman Michael Smith, who did not respond to several text messages.

A spokeswoman for the city of Savannah’s tourism division also did not respond to a question about Sundance.

Escobar said in April that “this could be huge for us. The city of Atlanta is leading this effort. I try to show them what the possibilities are.

The annual 11-day Sundance Festival has become considered the most important film festival in North America and has always been held in Park City, Utah, a posh resort town known for its skiing. But Sundance management has decided to consider other venues when the contract expires in 2026. If it chooses to change cities, a long-term contract would mean the new venue would host the festival for several years starting in 2027.

The 40th annual edition of the festival attracted more than 100,000 attendees last January and presented 92 feature films, most of them world premieres. Many producers use it as a way to generate buzz in hopes of finding a distributor for theatrical, on-demand, and streaming. It’s so valuable that the festival received 4,410 feature film applications and rejected 98% of them.

Although Atlanta has the infrastructure to host such an event, with Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a vast supply of hotel rooms, and numerous theater spaces, it doesn’t exactly capture the vibe of Park City . Savannah is closer to Park City and has a thriving arts community as well as a unique Southern Gothic atmosphere.

“It would be comparable to a major sporting event,” said Craig Miller, an Atlanta-based independent filmmaker and producer and president of government relations for the local lobbying group Georgia Production Partnership. “It gives the real seal of approval that Georgia is a legitimate film hub if they choose Atlanta or Savannah. This is a fabulous opportunity. People in industry and government are coming together to make this work. We are all waiting.

Robyn Watson, president of Women in Film & Television Atlanta, said she was “worried that people think maybe a big city is too much for Sundance, but I think if we can navigate it the right way, the advantages are there. If they want to expand Sundance, Atlanta would be the perfect place to host it.