Representatives from the vaunted Sundance Film Festival took a trip to Atlanta as they continue their search for a new host city. 

In June, Atlanta formally joined the competition by submitting a Request for Proposal. Many cities initially entered, but only six contenders remain: Boulder, CO; Cincinnati, OH; Louisville, KY; Park City, UT; Santa Fe, NM; and of course, Atlanta.

“We were really impressed by the messaging that we’ve all gotten around regarding Atlanta being a place that Sundance can grow,” said the CEO of Georgia Entertainment, Randy Davidson. “Being at Sundance this last year, it’s really tight for Park City to hold. We believe that Atlanta can provide the opportunities for the festival to really expand.”

Although there is optimism surrounding Sundance relocating to Atlanta, many suspect that the congested traffic in downtown will prove a difficult hurdle to overcome for a film festival of this magnitude. 

“Sundance right now is so condensed, and that’s why Savannah and even Athens made such good representation,” added Davidson. “But Sundance also knows that this is a chance for them to reshape what they’re doing, and to allow it to be even bigger. The Atlanta scene provides that, even with the challenge of traffic.”