Louisville Among The Six Final Contenders For This Exclusive Film Festival Showcasing The Best In Independent Films

Louisville is among six cities in the United States to host The Sundance Film Festival, which showcases the best in independent films across the country and around the world.

The Sundance Film Festival is set to take place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah in 2025 and 2026. However, the location of the festival after that will be the home of Sundance for years to come, according to the festival in a press release.

The finalists selected to move forward to the final phase of selection include:

• Louisville, KY
• Atlanta, GA
• Boulder, CO
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah
• Santa Fe, NM

Louisville currently hosts smaller film festivals like the Flyover Film Festival and the Louisville Jewish Film Festival , but has a large movie scene across the city.

“For over 40 years, Sundance has supported, sustained, and helped shine an essential spotlight on independent filmmakers and their work. As we very carefully consider this important decision for our Festival, we believe these six finalists allow us the best opportunity to not only secure a sustainable future for our Festival, but also to build upon its legacy while continuing to support the next generation of storytellers and highlight bold new works of art,” said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board Chair, and Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute Acting CEO in a joint press release on Friday, July 19. “We are grateful to all the communities who have expressed interest and been a part of the process, and we have valued the opportunity to learn about the uniqueness of each location. We look forward to the site visits in each of the finalist cities.”

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg expressed his excitement at the opportunity to host the film festival, calling Louisville a “diverse arts community” that was proud to be a finalist.

“The City of Louisville and its diverse arts community is proud to be a finalist city for the Sundance Film Festival. Our rich history hosting world-class events, growing film industry, and commitment to sustainability position us as a perfect stage for the Festival’s future. We are home to the greatest two minutes in sports and we are ready to host the greatest 10 days in film,” Greenberg said in a statement.

Gill Holland, a Louisville native and Sundance award-winning producer, took note of how Sundance continues to expand its reach of lifting up storytellers across the US.

"As Sundance looks to expand its impact nurturing storytellers, especially those from under-represented voices, Louisville’s mid-country and drivable location, affordability, and unique ability to bridge the rural-urban divide make it the right place for Sundance’s new home," Holland said. "This will also give Kentucky the chance to push back on 100 years of negative Hollywood stereotypes.”

The film festival said in a press release that it would not be commenting further on the process until the review is complete, with more information on the location of the Sundance Film Festival once a city has been chosen.