The Sundance Film Festival as we know it could be unspooling before our very eyes, as it could end up leaving Park City, Utah in the coming years. As previously reported, the contract that Sundance holds with the ski town is set to expire in 2027, leaving them the option to either renew or go with another city altogether. Ahead of this, the Sundance Institute has done some location scouting, listing a half dozen cities that could play host, including, yes, Park City.

Outside of Park City/Salt Lake City, the Sundance Institute also looked at Atlanta, GA; Boulder, CO; Cincinnati, OH; Louisville, KY; and Santa Fe, NM. Some of these potential host cities for Sundance may not exactly scream cinema, but there are thriving art scenes in all. They, too, are lacking full-blown film festivals on the scale of a Sundance. The Institute also ensured they had in-depth conversations and understandings with everyone from mayors to film commissioners.

Expanding on why they made the shortlist, festival director Eugene Hernandez (via Variety) said, “Each of these cities has a vibrant creative ecosystem, either expanding or established, and has enabled creativity to flourish in their cities through their support of the arts. These cities understand our ethos, are aligned with our key values, and have shown us interesting possibilities for partnership with our festival — for our artists, audiences, and all who want to be a part of the Sundance Film Festival — and that makes us want to see more.”

That Park City/Salt Lake City remains on the list is promising for traditionalists, as the Sundance Film Festival has been held there for more than 40 years. Park City’s mayor, too, wants to see it remain within city limits, as it has been reported that out-of-state visitors alone generate close to $120 million in revenue. Some may draw comparisons to the announcement that the San Diego Comic-Con could be leaving its namesake city, coming as a result of hotels surging their rates, thus pricing out out-of-town attendees.

How would you feel about the Sundance Film Festival leaving Park City? Which city would be a fitting host in future years?

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