Atlanta is pursuing prestigious Sundance Film Festival

ATLANTA — Atlanta is planning to bid to be the new home of the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027, according to Christopher Escobar, owner of the Plaza and Tara cinemas.

“This could be huge for us,” Escobar told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week before the start of The Atlanta Film Festival, which he produces. “The city of Atlanta is leading this. I’m trying to show them what the possibilities are.”

A spokesman for the city of Atlanta didn’t respond to the AJC seeking comment.

Sundance, which has been based out of Park City, Utah since 1981, recently announced it is seeking possible alternative cities to move to after its contract with the mountain resort town ends in 2026.

“They are making an honest and concerted effort to make sure before they sign another long-term deal, they look at other options,” Escobar said. “I expect this to be very competitive.”

Sundance is often considered the most prestigious film festival in the United States, its reputation nurtured and enhanced by actor Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute, which supports independent artists.

Over 11 days in January, the 2024 Sundance festival featured 91 films and 60-plus shorts. More than 100,000 attended the event with 40% out of state, said Jennifer Wesselhoff, president and chief executive of Park City Chamber of Commerce during a press conference at the festival’s conclusion this year.

Dubbed the Sundance Film Festival since 1991, it has helped bolster the reputations of filmmakers over the years such as Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Ava DuVernay and David O. Russell.

Escobar said Atlanta’s strengths are the reason it was able to attract the Olympics in 1996, the Super Bowl in 2019 and the World Cup semifinals in 2026.

“We have the hotel rooms,” Escobar said. “We’re home to the civil rights movement. We have the world’s busiest airport. We have the busiest theater in North America for its size in the Fox Theatre. We have huge private sector companies like Coke, Home Depot and Delta. If Atlanta wants it enough and makes this happen, I think we have an incredibly good shot.”

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