Louisville is being considered as the next home for one of the nation’s the most prestigious independent film festivals, the world-renowned Sundance Film Festival.
On Friday, Louisville was named one of six finalists to host the festival, beginning in 2027. Hosting the festival would bring the world to Louisville for 10 days each year for an event that serves as the premiere of innovative films and attracts more than 80,000 visitors annually.
As part of a thorough evaluation of each potential location, the Sundance Institute assessed each city’s infrastructure, ethos and equity values; event capabilities to host the festival; and how each finalist could sustainably serve and support the ever-growing community of independent artists and audiences. Each finalist was required to demonstrate how they would welcome and continue to foster the diverse Sundance community and culture of independent creativity that is part of the festival experience.
Louisville Metro Government has demonstrated a strong commitment to the arts, launching the city’s first office dedicated to arts and culture in 2023. The Office of Arts + Creative Industries added two positions this year to expand citywide programming and increase access to arts experiences for everyone. In fiscal year 2024, the office offered more than $3.8 million in support for artists, cultural nonprofits, and community programs. The Office of Arts + Creative Industries will soon be stewarding a citywide Comprehensive Cultural planning process.
“Louisville is home to a special community of artists, culture bearers, and storytellers who are value-aligned with the Sundance Institute. It is the perfect time to partner with Sundance as we are setting goals and charting Louisville’s future course to expand support for individual artists and creative organizations,” said Jessica Bennett Kincaid, director of the Office of Arts + Creative Industries.
Sundance packs an economic punch
The news coincides with the expansion of Kentucky’s film industry. Since January 2022, 185 films have applied for the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive Program. LEX Studios, a state-of-the-art production facility in Lexington, recently opened and the state has allocated funding to renovate and transform historic Louisville Gardens into a film, music and digital production studio.
If the Sundance Film Festival relocates to Kentucky, the gathering would join a long list of notable events hosted in Louisville, including the Kentucky Derby, Bourbon & Beyond, Louder Than Life, and 2024’s PGA Championship. As Louisville leaders prepared for their bid, a study conducted by Commonwealth Economics determined that the economic effect of a Louisville-based Sundance Film Festival is an estimated $171 million annually.
The festival has been held in Utah since its inception and remains in Park City. In early 2024, Sundance Institute officials announced they were accepting bids for a new festival home. The 2023 Sundance Film Festival saw more than 80,000 people attend in-person. The economic report from that year estimates the festival contributed more than 1,600 local jobs and the total associated economic activity was more than $200 million.
Sundance Institute officials will visit Louisville in the coming weeks and a decision about the festival’s future will be announced in the coming months.
