The Queen City is in the running to be the new home of the largest independent film festival in the United States.
Sundance Film Festival, the prestigious indie film festival founded by director and actor Robert Redford, is considering leaving its home of four decades starting in 2027. Cincinnati is one of six candidates on the shortlist of cities that could host the festival.
The festival has taken place each January in Park City, Utah for more than 40 years, but its contract with the city will expire in 2027. It will continue to be held in Park City and Salt Lake City in 2025 and 2026, according to a press release.
The six finalist cities include:
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- Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sundance Film Festival is looking for a long-term host city, said Film Cincinnati President and CEO Kristen Schlotman, who spoke at a press conference Friday along with Mayor Aftab Pureval.
The next step in the selection process is a site visit, Schlotman said. While a definite timeline for a the selection committee's visit to Cincinnati is unknown, a press release from festival organizers said a visit to all of the finalist cities will take place in the coming weeks. They expect to make a decision early next year.
Pureval noted qualities that differentiate Cincinnati from its peers on the shortlist at a press conference following the announcement on Friday. Among the qualities he listed are walkability, affordability, historic architecture, ample outdoor public space and an arsenal of theaters.
“Sundance, they’re looking for a city that is ready to go. They’re looking for a city that is right on the precipice of transformational change that will be catalyzed by bringing Sundance’s brand here. Cincinnati, I think, is the obvious and natural choice,” the mayor said at Friday's conference.
Film Cincinnati's decision to apply was an obvious one when Sundance Institute announced in April that they were opening a search for the festival’s next home, Schlotman said. Film Cincinnati focuses on sparking economic impact by couching Greater Cincinnati as a destination for film production. Attracting a major film festival to the city for years to come seemed to fit squarely with that mission, she said.
Sundance Film Festival would maintain its 10-day program if it were to come to Cincinnati, Schlotman said. Its footprint could sprawl throughout the city’s urban center, including Over-the-Rhine, Downtown's business district and down to The Banks, she added.
“These are buildings that we have preserved that are world renowned and beautiful," Schlotman said. "Why not be in those buildings watching movies with the rest of the world?”
Cincinnati’s proximity to other large metros, like Columbus, Indianapolis and Louisville, means the festival could attract people from all over the region.
Schlotman also nodded to ArtsWave as an indicator of the city's healthy art scene. ArtsWave’s 2024 community campaign raised $12.5 million, making it the largest arts fundraising venture in the country, she said.
Hosting the festival would require an investment on the part of the city, Pureval said, although the size of that investment is unknown for the time being. He said he would think large corporations and local arts organizations would rally to support the city for such a major event with global significance.
At the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, there were 138,050 in-person tickets redeemed, according to a press release. The festival experimented with a hybrid model last year, and total viewership for in-person and virtual attendees reached 423,234 people.
About Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival is held by Sundance Institute, a nonprofit that supports independent filmmaking.
Redford started the Sundance Institute in 1980 after buying thousands of acres of land in Utah and used the land as a training ground for aspiring filmmakers.
The Sundance Film Festival 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.
The festival has been the launching pad for some notable 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.
Redford also has career history in the Buckeye State. His movie "The Old Man & the Gun," which released in 2018, was mostly shot in Ohio, according to Variety.
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