Santa Fe selected as finalist for prestigious Sundance Film Festival location search for 2027

Sundance Film Festival potential host citiesPhoto by2nd Life Media

Exciting news for New Mexico is Santa Fe is a finalist for the Sundance Film Festival with the growing respect for the state in the film industry The nonprofit behind the Sundance Film Festival on Friday named the finalists in the running to host the iconic event starting in 2027.

Park City and Salt Lake City's joint bid made it to the last phase, along with five other cities with ambitious bids:

• Atlanta
• Boulder, Colorado
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Santa Fe, New Mexico

The New Mexico Film Office is thrilled to announce that Santa Fe has been selected as one of the finalist cities being considered by the Sundance Institute as a potential new home for the renowned Sundance Film Festival beginning in 2027.

“This is exciting news and a tremendous opportunity to showcase Santa Fe’s vibrant cultural scene, stunning landscapes and thriving film industry,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “Santa Fe is perfectly suited to host the legendary Sundance Film Festival and you can bet that my administration will work as hard as possible to make that a reality.”

Santa Fe boasts a thriving film community with a long history of supporting independent filmmakers. The city’s existing venues, from historic theaters to innovative cultural centers, offer a unique platform for showcasing independent cinema. Additionally, Santa Fe’s world-class hospitality industry and growing international reputation make it an ideal destination for the Sundance Film Festival’s next chapter.

“Santa Fe and the Sundance Film Festival have long shared a deep appreciation for diversity, inclusion, and artistic expression,” Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber stated. “From our rich cultural heritage and thriving artist communities to the innovative voices championed at Sundance, there’s a natural synergy between our values. We believe that Santa Fe would provide a welcoming and inspiring platform for the stories and filmmakers that Sundance celebrates.”

The Sundance Film Festival is a cornerstone of the independent film industry, providing a platform for emerging voices and groundbreaking stories. Santa Fe is confident that its unique blend of artistic energy, cultural richness, and welcoming atmosphere will foster the festival’s vibrant and successful future.

New Mexico’s film industry is already a booming economic engine, attracting major productions with its stunning landscapes, skilled crews, and competitive incentives. Hosting the Sundance Film Festival in Santa Fe will further amplify this success and showcase New Mexico’s one-of-a-kind attributes for an international crowd of filmmakers, distributors, and movie lovers.

The Sundance Institute will make its decision on a new host city in the coming months. Santa Fe looks forward to the opportunity to welcome the Sundance Film Festival and its passionate community to the City Different.

Out-of-state visitors, who made up a quarter of attendees at 2023's event, spent nearly $100 million in Utah during the festival, per an economic impact report by Y2 Analytics.

Robert Redford founded the festival in Utah more than four decades ago. It has helped launch the careers of directors Weas Anderson, Ava DuVernay and Quentin Tarantino. An announcement about the 2027 site is expected at the end of this year or early 2026.