Atlanta Arts category interest

Out on Film director and ArtsATL editor-at-large Jim Farmer shares his thoughts on why Sundance’s choice not to move to Atlanta is not a loss, given our own wins.

::

And then there were three.

Earlier this year, the Sundance Institute announced it was taking proposals from cities interested in hosting the film festival beginning in 2027. The news came to the surprise of many, although others had long spoken out about the rising cost of attending and the frustration of Park City and Salt Lake City.

The Sundance Film Festival commenced as the Utah/US Film Festival in 1978 in Salt Lake City, and, four years later, it became known as the US Film and Video Festival in Park City. In 1984, the Sundance Institute took over, and the festival was finally renamed in 1991. The largest independent film festival in the country, more than 400,000 individuals participated in 2023 between in-person and virtual screenings.

Many cities expressed interest in becoming the festival’s new home, but 15, including three in Georgia — Atlanta, Savannah and Athens — were chosen to make official bids/proposals. After a review, a half dozen made it through to the next round — Atlanta, Cincinnati, Knoxville, Santa Fe, Boulder and Salt Lake City/Park City — and Sundance reps visited each location.

This month, finalists were announced, and Atlanta was not among them. Salt Lake City/Park City and Boulder were there, which almost everyone in the industry I have spoken to expected, and Cincinnati rounded out the final three. The Sundance Film Festival will take place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2025 and 2026, and then could theoretically move to its next city. Although I never expected Atlanta to get Sundance, I thought there was a great chance it could be one of the finalists.

I see the situation through multiple lenses. One is as someone who has lived in Atlanta since 1996, shortly after the Olympics. I love the city and am enormously proud of it, as well as how it’s become a filming mecca and all the work that has gone into making that happen. The arts community is vibrant, and Atlanta is a home for everyone, as well as a city that has truly re-invented itself. It has also attracted a lot of world-class events over the years. Our proposal bragged of the city’s diversity, film festival community, venues, hotels and more.

“Atlanta is a diverse and inclusive city of creatives, thinkers, artists and storytellers who are aligned with the core values of the Sundance Film Festival and who want to see Atlanta add to the legacy of Sundance,” said Mayor Andre Dickens. “As we move through this process, we will continue to shine a light on the art, culture and unique attributes of Atlanta, in hopes of winning the opportunity to engage and inspire the next generation of Sundance filmmakers and attendees.”

True words indeed.

As a journalist, though, I look at the situation through another lens — more deeply. Other than press releases, there were few statements or opportunities to talk to Sundance or local officials about this. Many folks I tried to interview have been unavailable or not answered questions, and others have signed NDAs which didn’t allow them to talk. The city of Atlanta indicated that $2 million, concessions and in-kind support would be available as part of its bid. One of my major questions has always been: Where is that money coming from, and where exactly is it going? If that kind of money can be whipped up so quickly, why not give it to those arts organizations that are here already, working and bringing attention to the city? Atlanta has one of the deepest and most varied film festival communities in the country, but I imagine all of us could use more money and staff.

I can see why Atlanta wanted to bring Sundance here. It would have been a tremendous boost to the local economy. Well over 85,000 individuals attended Sundance in 2023, and those are huge numbers for whatever area gets it, with a lot of traffic coming from out of state. But what does it do for the film festival industry here as a whole?

Atlanta-based filmmaker Molly Coffee had concerns, too. She felt Sundance coming here would create obvious tourism dollars, but she added it wouldn’t really have created anything for the actual film community. “It [wouldn’t] move us forward or fill in the gaps we are currently missing as far as the barriers of entry into the film industry. It [would] wind up taking all the attention and all the work away from organizations that are trying to move our filmmakers and industry forward.”

My third lens, as a film festival director, is where I have my biggest concerns. Full disclosure — I am the festival director of Out On Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQIA+ film festival. I agree with Coffee in that Sundance coming in would have completely overshadowed everything else here in the city.

Another question has gnawed at me for a while. Sundance originally indicated it would want to stay in its current time frame of January. There’s a major Atlanta film festival that takes place in February and another in early spring. For the life of me, I could not see a scenario where those other festivals would stay put and area patrons would be willing to support all three in such a short time span. My fear was that some festivals would have to move, which would have created possible overlaps with other events.

I also never got a sense of how Sundance being here would affect the local film festival industry, especially those festivals not represented on the Sundance in Atlanta Steering Committee. My husband Craig and I have run Out On Film for the last 16 years, and it has become one of the most acclaimed LGBTQIA+ film festivals around. We were not invited to be on the Sundance in Atlanta Steering Committee, however — nor to the industry-wide Sundance welcoming event. As someone who has been in the industry for a while and whose event could have been impacted, I would have welcomed the chance to ask some of my questions to the visiting Sundance team. The initial proposal to Sundance boasted of the many film festivals in the area, as well as the queerness of the city, so there’s an irony that our voices and representation were excluded, especially for a festival known for its queer staff and offerings.

I am not sure what Sundance is looking for in a new location. A lot of people in the industry are under the impression Sundance isn’t going anywhere or will use more of Salt Lake CIty in the future. After all, that’s happened this year, I hope that is not the case. I have heard a lot of sentiment and support for Boulder, and clearly Cincinnati has a lot to offer. The decision is scheduled for February 2025.

Now that Atlanta is out of the running, what can the experience do for the city? My hope is, a lot.

I would love to see the city use the money in question for local talent, to continue to embellish the great work that arts organizations are doing. I’d also love to see more awareness and appreciation of area film festivals, especially since so many filmmakers and directors are right here, right now. I’d love to see more Atlanta officials involved in those events outside of proposals. I’d also love to have steering committees in place in the future, truly representative of the entire Atlanta community.

There is tremendous talent and creativity in the area. I’d love to envision a place where all kinds of artists could thrive. Now that Sundance has shifted focus to other locations, why not take advantage of our local resources, work together and create something distinctly our own?

::