Sundance Institute CEP Joana Vicente suggested during a surprise appearance Monday during a live taping of Matt Belloni’s “The Town” podcast, that the organization may be considering a move from Park City, Utah.
The Sundance Film Festival has been held in the resort town since 1981, after moving there from nearby Salt Lake City. And when asked about the state of negotiations between the Sundance Institute and the town, Vicente said, “Park City is part of Sundance. It’s a beautiful location. It’s kind of remote. We get immersed into the festival.”
At that, Belloni said, “I feel a ‘but’ coming,’ because I hear it, every time you go into a restaurant, you hear it every time you get into an Uber, you hear it every time you talk to people involved in the ski industry, they don’t like Sundance.”
At that, Vicente acknowledged “challenges,” including “accessibility” and “cost.” She then added that Sundance organizers have “been really excited about the programming that we are doing in Salt Lake and really getting to a more diverse, younger audience.”
In what may perhaps be an indication of the nonprofit’s thinking, Vicente also noted that “Utah as a state supports the festival.”
“So, yes, there is a negotiation coming up. We’re also spending time doing a lot of strategic thinking of where can we be most relevant. What’s the role of the festival? What’s the role of the institute? How do we evolve in a really ever-changing industry around us?” Vicente continued. “Those are all of the considerations, but we love being here. So, that’s what I would say. We want to make this work. We know there are a lot of challenges.”
Representatives for the Sundance Institute didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
