Cincinnati is among the finalists to be the home of Sundance. Film festival organizers are considering leaving the long-time home of Park City, Utah, and toured six cities this summer. The festival could stay in Utah, or move to Cincinnati, or Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.
Film Cincinnati Executive Director Kristin Schlotman says the most recent festival had an economic impact of nearly $160 million.
“You also have to understand that this (Sundance) Institute — not just the festival, the entire Institute — would move here to Cincinnati and they would incorporate year-round programming,” she says. “They would hire full-time workers immediately for this transition, and then they’d hire up to 1,600 people to work that festival and run it each year.”
Mayor Aftab Pureval says the significance is bigger than the direct economic impact of hosting 100,000 people for 11 days.
“We often talk about, what is the brand of Cincinnati? How do we talk about Cincinnati as a region?” he says. “Sundance comes here, our brand changes internationally overnight. And all of a sudden, Cincinnati is now the epicenter of the filmmaking industry. I’m so excited about that opportunity.”
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The Sundance selection committee visited Cincinnati at the end of July. Pureval says the 15 members of the committee were shown 30 venues in the basin, highlighting the walkability of the city.
Schlotman says the Sundance Institute is putting a lot of thought into what the festival should be.
“Our industry is rapidly changing at the same time. The way we create content, the way we consume content,” she says. “And so while Cincinnati is on this precipice of change, so is Sundance, and we view that as an opportunity to really partner with them and help each other become the future version of ourselves.”
They plan to make announcement on the 10-year contract in February, after the next Sundance Festival.
