Sundance Film Festival narrows down future host cities: Here’s where

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LOS ANGELES - The Sundance Film Festival has long been associated with the snowy mountain town of Park City, Utah.

But it may not be that way for much longer.

On Friday, the Sundance Institute announced its six finalists in its search for a new host location for the iconic film festival when its existing contract will be up for renewal.

After 40 years in Park City, the festival is eyeing these locations: Atlanta, Georgia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Boulder, Colorado; Louisville, Kentucky and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

View of the Egyptian Theatre during the 2006 Sundance Film Festival on Main Street January 20, 2006 in Park City, Utah. (Credit: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Park City, along with Salt Lake City, will still be home to the 2025 and 2026 festivals, and the Utah cities are also one of the six options for future festivals.

"As we very carefully consider this important decision for our festival, we believe these six finalists allow us the best opportunity to not only secure a sustainable future for our Festival, but also to build upon its legacy while continuing to support the next generation of storytellers and highlight bold new works of art," Ebs Burnough, the Sundance Institute board chair, and Amanda Kelso, the Sundance Institute acting CEO, said in a joint statement.

The six cities are moving along in the selection process after a competitive request for proposal phase that started in May and saw submissions from across the country.

Sundance has long been a launching pad for independent filmmakers, supporting the early careers of Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan and more. Winners at the festival usually become some of the year's most acclaimed films.

Sundance titles to reach the Oscars include 2022 Best Picture winner "CODA," "Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" and "Minari."

The Robert Redford-founded festival has grown significantly since its inception, and Redford, who stepped back from the Sundance spotlight years ago, expressed concern in 2016 that the festival as it existed might have outgrown Park City and was thinking about ways to evolve. He and his daughter, Amy Redford, who is on the board, have been involved in the process according to an April announcement about the location search.

Members of the Sundance Institute selection committee will visit each of the finalist cities in the coming weeks and a final decision is expected in early 2025.

This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed.