Utah Fights to Keep Sundance Film Festival as Relocation Looms

Deliberations are ongoing regarding the potential relocation of the Sundance Film Festival, which has been hosted in Park City, Utah, for 41 years. Amid this, Utah leaders, including Governor Spencer Cox, locals, and longtime festival attendees are striving to retain its presence in the state. Governor Cox has advocated for the Utah Legislature to allocate $3 million in the state budget to bolster efforts to keep the festival at home, amid competition from other states.

Festival Director Eugene Hernandez has not yet reached a final decision on the festival's future, although an announcement is expected by early spring 2025. Possible new locations for the festival include Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Boulder, Colorado, which would see changes implemented starting in 2027. Colorado is considering offering up to $34 million in tax incentives by 2036 and has already approved $1.5 million in available funds to attract Sundance. In competition, Cincinnati has allocated $2.5 million should Sundance decide to move to Ohio.

The Sundance Film Festival leadership is contemplating these options, noting concerns about the festival's growing exclusivity in Park City and expressing an interest in making it more centralized, affordable, and accessible. Some supporters worry the festival will lose its identity if moved outside its alpine setting. Among these supporters are Roger and Carin Ehrenberg, New York City philanthropists and major festival donors, who express reluctance to regularly attend if the event relocates out of Utah. Carin Ehrenberg said: "If it goes to Cincinnati, maybe once in a blue moon we would go, but it wouldn't be a regular thing."

Local resident Dr. Rhonda Taubin, who moved from Atlanta to nearby Heber City due to her fondness for Sundance, has been active in grassroots efforts to keep the festival in Utah. Along with her friends, she distributed thousands of "Keep Sundance in Utah" and "NOhio for Sundance" stickers to show local support for the festival's current location. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)