Will Sundance Film Festival move to Los Angeles?
Slamdance is packing its bags first … the artist-led “by filmmakers for filmmakers” organization announced that its annual film festival will move to Los Angeles, starting in February 2025.
The move to Los Angeles, the heart of the entertainment industry, will allow for the continued growth of Slamdance’s year-round mission to provide an accessible and dynamic community for truly independent, visionary filmmakers and creators.
The festival will run February 20-26, 2025 at venues in and surrounding Hollywood, including the Landmark Theatres and the DGA Theater Complex, with more locations to be announced. The festival aims to be financially accessible with in-person passes starting at $50.00 and many programs free to the public.
Existing and new programs will be featured at the festival, including Polytechnic, Slamdance’s free education endeavor; ‘6ixty’, a series of one-minute short films made on any format; Next Wave LA, a program of new media work made by LA-based artists, and the experiential and cutting-edge DIG (Digital, Interactive, Gaming) program.
Panasonic LUMIX will be the Official Sponsor of the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles, solidifying a partnership at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and independent filmmaking. Additional industry partners include the DGA, Landmark Theatres, and AGBO.
“Our journey in the film industry began at Slamdance, and our commitment to the festival and the opportunities it offers filmmakers has remained unwavering,” said filmmakers and AGBO co-founders Anthony and Joe Russo. “Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with numerous filmmakers through our fellowship program and various initiatives at our studio. We look forward to witnessing the continued growth and impact of Slamdance in its new home.”
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, has also endorsed the move, saying, “We are thrilled to announce that the Slamdance Film Festival is moving to Los Angeles and will host its first event here beginning in February 2025. To know the history and landscape of independent storytelling is to know that Los Angeles has always been a home and a source of inspiration for artists, as the creative capital of the world. As we welcome filmmakers, artists, and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, the Slamdance Film Festival will serve as a dynamic hub for creativity, connection, and job opportunities for Angelenos.”
“Slamdance is coming to Los Angeles! Building upon our success in Utah, we will grow the festival with greater accessibility in Los Angeles and continue our work in launching new films, new careers, and new ideas in filmmaking”, said Slamdance President and Founder Peter Baxter. “With new and existing collaborators, our mission is to increase the global value of independent film and digital media and serve the Los Angeles arts community.”
Notable Slamdance alumni and supporters include The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), Emma and Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), Sean Baker (Anora), Rian Johnson (Knives Out), Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), Merawi Gerima (Residue), Marie Jamora (Queen Sugar), and Steven Soderbergh (High Flying Bird).
The festival has made its home in Park City, Utah since its founding in 1995 and thrived in its most recent edition in January 2024, with screenings both in Park City at The Doubletree Park City – The Yarrow and in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah. Audiences attended in record numbers, resulting in an 18% increase in ticket and pass sales compared to 2023.
The Slamdance Film Festival is a yearly celebration of emerging filmmaking talent from around the world. The 2024 lineup consisted of 113 films, 17 of which were World Premiere features. 2024 was Slamdance’s most diverse lineup, with 43% of the films by BIPOC creators and 43% by female or non-binary filmmakers. All films selected in the Narrative Features and Documentary Features competition categories are directorial debuts without U.S. distribution, with budgets of less than USD 1 million – a feature that has been unique to the festival since its founding in 1995. The features hailed from 20 different countries, including Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Palestine, Russia, and the UK (United Kingdom) among others.
Submissions for the Slamdance 2025 Film Festival will open on May 8, 2024.
Select Slamdance features, shorts, and episodics can be viewed year-round on the Slamdance Channel.
