Athens, Atlanta and Savannah emerge as potential Sundance Film Festival host cities

A Sundance spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Atlanta and Savannah’s applications for the film festival were already publicly known, but Athens’ inclusion in the list had not been previously disclosed.

Georgia is one of the leading film and television production centers in the United States, behind Los Angeles and New York. Most of Georgia’s production is centered in the Atlanta metropolitan area, although Athens and Savannah have each hosted numerous film and television projects.

About 90 cities applied to host Sundance, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the United States. It has been held in Park City, Utah since its inception in 1981, but festival management has decided to consider other venues when its contract expires in 2026.

The core group was reduced to 15 cities earlier this month, all of which must now organize welcoming committees. Atlanta has not finalized its committee. Christopher Escobar, executive director of the Atlanta Film Society and owner of the city’s Plaza and Tara movie theaters, presided over the request for information (RFI) process. He did not respond to a request for comment.

The three Georgian contenders have not yet made a public announcement on their selections. City of Atlanta spokesman Michael Smith did not respond to a request for comment.

The deadline for all 15 cities to submit a formal proposal is June 21. A host city will be designated in late 2024 or early 2025, depending on the institute.

Held every January, the Sundance Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Park City each year. This year’s festival featured 91 films and over 60 short films. More than 100,000 people attended the event, with 40% coming from out of state.

-Staff writer Rodney Ho contributed to this report.