PARK CITY, Utah — Weeks after announcing it would entertain bids to leave its longtime Park City home, the Sundance Film Festival appears to be as hot of an item as the movies it sells to the big studios.
Over the last few days, several major U.S. cities have made their intentions known that they'd like to bring the prestigious event to their neck of the woods.
Atlanta became a contender over the weekend when the executive director of the Atlanta Film Society said it will bid on the festival when it becomes open to moving in 2027.
"Yes, I can confirm that," Christopher Escobar told FOX 5 Atlanta on Sunday. "We’re in the preliminary step of Sundance’s RFI process before we know if Atlanta is chosen to go on to the RFP process."
RFI refers to "request for information," while RFP stands for "request for proposal." The RFI process is currently open and closes Wednesday, while the RFP opens May 7 and runs through June 21.
In an effort to keep Sundance out west, San Francisco is also making a play for the two-week-long festival. According to SFist, the executive director of the San Francisco Film Commission, Manijeh Fata, has confirmed that the organization will submit its own bid.
If the plan is to keep Sundance in a cold weather climate, Minneapolis wants to step up.
"Sundance and Minneapolis are an obvious and beautiful match," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement, according to the Star Tribune. "We have a world-class arts and entertainment community, and a well-earned reputation for successfully hosting major events."
With a contract only in place with Park City through 2026, Sundance officials made their intentions clear earlier this month to take a look at what else is out there in regards to other cities that wish to host the festival.
Sundance has been held in Utah for over 40 years.
"We are in a unique moment for our Festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to responsibly consider how we best continue sustainably serving our community while maintaining the essence of the Festival experience,” said Eugene Hernandez, Director of the Sundance Film Festival.
A decision on whether to move, and if so, where, will be made by the end of this year or early 2025.
