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    • Cincinnati on Shortlist for Next Hometown Sundance Film Festival
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    Cincinnati on Shortlist for Next Hometown Sundance Film Festival

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    The Queen City is in the running to become the new home of the largest independent film festival in the United States.

    Sundance Film Festival, the prestigious independent film festival founded by director and actor Robert Redford, is considering shutting down the festival, which has been held for four decades, starting in 2027. Cincinnati is one of six cities on a shortlist of potential hosts.

    The festival has been held every January in Park City, Utah, for more than 40 years, but its contract with the city expires in 2027. According to a press release, the festival will be held in Park City and Salt Lake City in 2025 and 2026.

    The six finalists are:

    • Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah.

    The Sundance Film Festival is looking for a city to host the festival long-term, said Kristen Schlotman, president and CEO of Film Cincinnati, speaking at a news conference Friday alongside Mayor Aftab Pureval.

    The next step in the selection process is a site visit, Schlotman said. While a definitive timeline for the selection committee’s visit to Cincinnati is unknown, a press release from festival organizers said that visits to all finalist cities will take place in the coming weeks. They expect to make a decision early next year.

    Pureval noted during a press conference following the announcement on Friday that Cincinnati stands out among its peers on the shortlist. Among the qualities he cited are walkability, affordability, historic architecture, ample outdoor public space and an array of theaters.

    “Sundance, they’re looking for a city that’s ready to go. They’re looking for a city that’s on the cusp of transformative change that’s going to be sparked by bringing the Sundance brand here. Cincinnati, I think, is the obvious and natural choice,” the mayor said at Friday’s conference.

    Film Cincinnati’s decision to apply was a no-brainer when Sundance Institute announced in April that it would begin a search for the festival’s next location, Schlotman said. Film Cincinnati is focused on driving economic impact by positioning Greater Cincinnati as a destination for film production. Attracting a major film festival to the city for years to come seemed like a natural fit for that mission, she said.

    Sundance Film Festival would retain its 10-day schedule if it came to Cincinnati, Schlotman said. The footprint could extend throughout the city, including Over-the-Rhine, the Downtown business district and up to The Banks, she added.

    “These are buildings that we’ve preserved that are world-famous and beautiful,” Schlotman said. “Why wouldn’t we sit in those buildings and watch movies with the rest of the world?”

    Because Cincinnati is close to other major cities such as Columbus, Indianapolis and Louisville, the festival can attract people from all over the region.

    Schlotman also gave a nod to ArtsWave as an indicator of the city’s healthy arts scene. ArtsWave’s 2024 community campaign raised $12.5 million, making it the largest arts fundraising effort in the country, she said.

    Organizing the festival would require an investment from the city, Pureval said, though the size of that investment is still unknown. He said he would imagine that large corporations and local arts organizations would rally to support the city for such a large event with global significance.

    The 2023 Sundance Film Festival saw 138,050 physical tickets redeemed, according to a press release. The festival experimented with a hybrid model last year, with total audiences for physical and virtual attendance reaching 423,234.

    About the Sundance Film Festival

    The Sundance Film Festival is organized by the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports independent films.

    Redford founded the Sundance Institute in 1980 after purchasing thousands of acres of land in Utah and using the land as a training ground for aspiring filmmakers.

    The Sundance Film Festival began in 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah/United States Film Festival, but moved to Park City in 1981. In 1985, the Redford-based Sundance Institute took over the festival, and after several name changes, the festival was renamed the Sundance Film Festival in 1991.

    The festival has been the launch pad for a number of notable filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, David O. Russell, and Wes Anderson, among others. It also sees the debut of notable independent films. Many stars attend the event each year, with the 2024 festival set to host Jerry Seinfeld, Camila Cabello, Will Ferrell, and more.

    Redford also has a career history in the Buckeye State. His 2018 film “The Old Man & the Gun” was shot largely in Ohio, according to Variety.

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