The Sundance Film Festival is looking at the Queen City as a possible new home.
In an announcement Friday, Sundance organizers listed Cincinnati as a shortlist contender to become the new host of the largest independent film festival in the country. After residing in Park City, Utah, for decades, festival officials said in April that they would open a bid process for a new city to host the event.
The six finalists include:
- Atlanta, Georgia.
- Boulder, Colorado.
- Cincinnati.
- Louisville, Kentucky.
- Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Santa Fe, New Mexico.
According to Deadline, Sundance's current contract with Park City is through 2026.
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Cincinnati is now home to its own Theatre Row
“The beauty of Cincinnati is we are a city of theaters,” Cincinnati City Councilman Seth Walsh said. “Our downtown is a treasure trove of small theaters within a two-mile walking distance. Many of them are undergoing renovations that will make this festival more impactful for viewers and our city.”
Walsh’s office in March did an honorary naming at 12th and Vine streets, designating it Theatre Row. Cincinnati is home to several notable theaters, including Emery Theater, Taft Theatre, the Aronoff Center and Cincinnati Shakespeare Co.'s Otto M. Budig Theater.
The city of Cincinnati increased funding to Film Cincinnati, the non-profit that coordinates movie making in Cincinnati, for 2025, making room for $125,000 in that year's budget, up from $50,000 in 2024.
Sundance Film Festival has launched numerous stars
The Sundance Film Festival, founded by actor and director Robert Redford, takes place every January. It started in 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah/United States Film Festival, but moved to Park City in 1981. Redford's Sundance Institute took over operations in 1985 and, after multiple name changes, the festival became the Sundance Film Festival in 1991.
Redford acted and produced the 2017 movie "The Old Man & the Gun," which filmed throughout Greater Cincinnati.
The festival has been the launching pad for some of the best filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, David O. Russell and Wes Anderson, among others. High-profile independent movies also debut there. Many stars attend the event each year, with the 2024 festival hosting Jerry Seinfeld, Camila Cabello, Will Ferrell and others.
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