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Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Location Park City, Utah, U.S.
Sundance Resort, Utah, U.S.
Founded August 1978; 47 years ago (1978-08) (as Utah/US Film Festival)
Founded by John Earle
Sterling Van Wagenen
Awards Grand Jury Prize Dramatic, Grand Jury Prize Documentary, Audience Award Dramatic, Audience Award Documentary
Hosted by Sundance Institute
Language English
Current: 2025
2026
2024

The Sundance Film Festival is a big yearly event where new movies are shown. It's put on by the Sundance Institute. It's the largest festival in the United States for independent films. These are movies made outside of the big Hollywood studios. In 2023, over 423,000 people watched films at the festival, either in person or online.

The festival is a special place for new movies from filmmakers in America and around the world. It has different parts, including competitions for both American and international movies. These include longer movies and short films, both dramas and documentaries. There are also sections that aren't part of the competition, like "Sundance Kids" for younger audiences.

The festival started in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1978. Back then, it was called the Utah/US Film Festival. In 1981, it moved to Park City, Utah, and was renamed the US Film and Video Festival. It got its current name, the Sundance Film Festival, in 1991.

For many years, until 2025, the festival happened every January in Utah. However, in March 2025, it was announced that the festival would move to Boulder, Colorado, starting with the 2027 festival.

History of Sundance Film Festival

How the Festival Began in 1978

The Sundance Film Festival started in Salt Lake City in August 1978. It was first called the Utah/US Film Festival. The idea was to bring more filmmakers to Utah. It was founded by Sterling Van Wagenen, who worked for Robert Redford's company, along with John Earle and Cirina Hampton-Catania.

The first festival in 1978 showed movies like Deliverance, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Midnight Cowboy. The main goals were to show American-made films and highlight independent movies. It also aimed to help filmmaking in Utah grow. The festival had competitions for independent American films. It also showed older movies and held discussions with filmmakers.

In 1979, the festival continued to grow. More than 60 films were shown. Many famous Hollywood filmmakers joined the discussions. That year, the festival also made a profit for the first time.

Moving to Park City in 1981

Egyptian Theater during Sundance 2018
The Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah, is a very old and well-known place where festival movies are shown.

In 1981, the festival moved to Park City, Utah. The dates also changed from late summer to January. This move was suggested by director Sydney Pollack. He thought holding a film festival in a ski resort during winter would get more attention from Hollywood. It was then called the US Film and Video Festival.

Becoming the Sundance Film Festival in 1984

In 1984, the Sundance Institute took over running the festival. The Institute was already well-known. In 1991, the festival was officially renamed the Sundance Film Festival. It was named after the Sundance Kid, a character played by Robert Redford in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

The festival became very popular in the 1990s. It grew into one of the most important film festivals in the United States. It became as famous as other big festivals like Cannes and Berlin.

Moving to Colorado in 2027

In 2023, news came out that the Sundance Institute was thinking about moving the festival. The festival's contract to be in Park City ends after the 2026 festival. Many people felt the festival had become too big for the small town of Park City. Locals also thought the festival brought too much traffic.

Several cities wanted to host the festival. In July 2024, six cities were chosen to be considered. These included Atlanta, Georgia; Boulder, Colorado; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and a combined bid from Park City and Salt Lake City. By September, three finalists were picked: Park City/Salt Lake City, Boulder, and Cincinnati.

On March 27, 2025, it was announced that a ten-year agreement was made. The Sundance Film Festival will be held in Boulder, Colorado, starting with the 2027 festival.

Sundance in Other Places

Sundance London (2012–)

In 2010, it was first reported that Robert Redford wanted to bring the Sundance Film Festival to London. In March 2011, Redford officially announced it. Sundance London was held at The O2 in London from April 26 to 29, 2012. This was the first time the festival had been held outside the United States.

Redford said they wanted to bring the best of American independent cinema to the UK. Most of the movie showings and premieres happened at the Cineworld cinema at The O2. Sundance London continued in 2013 and 2014. The 2015 festival was canceled.

Sundance London returned in June 2016 and 2017 at Picturehouse Central. It also happened there in 2018 and 2019. Movies shown in 2019 included Late Night and The Farewell. The 2020 event was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was rescheduled for July 2021.

Sundance Hong Kong (2014–)

Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong started in 2014. It has been held in 2016, 2017, 2018, and from September 19 to October 1, 2019. It takes place at The Metroplex in Kowloon Bay each year. The 2020 event was also postponed due to the pandemic.

Sundance at BAM

From 2006 to 2008, the Sundance Institute worked with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). They held special movie showings, performances, and discussions in New York City. This brought the festival's activities to a new audience.

Why Sundance is Important

Many famous independent filmmakers got their start at Sundance. These include Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Steven Soderbergh. The festival also helped many movies become well-known. Some of these are Saw, Garden State, The Blair Witch Project, Reservoir Dogs, Napoleon Dynamite, and Whiplash.

Three Seasons was the first movie in the festival's history to win both the Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award in 1999. Other films that won both awards include Precious in 2009 and CODA in 2021.

At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, three films received eight Oscar nominations. Manchester by the Sea got six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The next year, about 40 films were bought by big companies like Amazon and Netflix.

CODA made history by becoming the first Sundance film to win an Oscar for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards.

How the Festival Has Grown

Over the years, the festival has changed a lot. It started as a small event for independent filmmakers. Now, it's a big media event with Hollywood stars and many parties. Festival organizers have tried to control these extra activities. They started a "Focus On Film" campaign in 2007.

A 2009 film called Official Rejection looked at how hard it was for small filmmakers to get into festivals like Sundance. It suggested that Sundance had become more about big studios and sponsors. It compared the 1990s, when small-budget films like Kevin Smith's Clerks could get deals, to the 2000s, when big stars and expensive movies were more common. Kevin Smith even wondered if Clerks would be accepted at Sundance today.

Many smaller festivals have started around Sundance in Park City. These include Slamdance and Tromadance. Most of these are no longer held, except for Slamdance.

In 2010, Sundance added a new section called "NEXT." This section shows creative films made with small budgets. Another new program was Sundance Film Festival USA. In this program, eight of the festival's films are shown in eight different theaters across the United States.

The festival went online in 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned to in-person showings in 2023. In 2020, Sundance brought about $167 million to Utah's economy.

Festival Directors

  • Geoff Gilmore – 1991–2009
  • John Cooper – 2009–2020
  • Tabitha Jackson – 2020–2022
  • Eugene Hernandez – 2022–present

Awards Given at Sundance

  • Grand Jury Prize Dramatic (for best drama film)
  • Audience Award Dramatic (audience favorite drama)
  • Directing Award Dramatic (for best director of a drama)
  • Grand Jury Prize Documentary (for best documentary film)
  • Audience Award Documentary (audience favorite documentary)
  • Directing Award Documentary (for best director of a documentary)
  • Alfred P. Sloan Prize (for films about science or technology)
  • Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (for best screenplay)
  • Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award (for best editing)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Festival de Cine de Sundance para niños

  • List of Sundance Film Festival award winners
  • List of Sundance Film Festival selections
  • Sundance TV
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