Santa Fe is no longer a finalist to host the Sundance Film Festival
SANTA FE, N.M. — Santa Fe is out of the running to host the world-famous Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Film Institute confirmed Thursday.
“We were excited to make it to the final six, and that was an honor, and it gave us an opportunity to really get to know Sundance Institute,” said Jennifer Labar-Tapia, a Santa Fe Film commissioner.
Santa Fe is looking to the future after finding out it wasn’t selected as the Sundance festival’s next host city.
“One of my questions was, well, where do we fall short? You know, what box did we not check? They were not disclosing that information to us. They said that there is absolutely nothing different that Santa Fe could have done, that you guys really knocked it out of the park,” said Labar-Tapia.
Could safety have been a factor? Santa Fe has seen a lot of violent crime recently, including the car chase and shooting that canceled the last day of the Santa Fe Fiestas last weekend.
Labar-Tapia doesn’t believe that’s affected the decision.
“It’s not a concern that was brought up to me by the selection committee, but it’s just a matter of you look at the issues that we have here in Santa Fe, they have those same issues in all the cities that have been the finalists,” said Labar-Tapia. “Once one city can figure that out, the other cities are going to follow suit. They’re just very complex issues, and so they didn’t allude to that being any kind of an issue to their decision.”
Or did lack of space play a role? Could Santa Fe accommodate all the Sundance Film Festival attendees?
Labar-Tapia says that isn’t a problem, they have thousands attend their weekend markets, but one of the downsides we do have? No easy way to get here.
“We don’t have direct international flights into the Santa Fe airport, and we don’t have that into the Sunport as well. Usually you’ve got to stop at least one place,” Labar-Tapia said.
But Labar-Tapia says there would have been workarounds.
“We worked really closely with Sunport during this process and during Balloon Fiesta, they work with all the carriers to increase their flights into Albuquerque for Balloon Fiesta for this exact same reason. They would have done the same for Sundance,” said Labar-Tapia.
Despite the news, leaders with Santa Fe and the state are feeling optimistic about future opportunities.
“They just completed their 10th native workshop, and it’s here in Santa Fe so Sundance has been here for 10 years with the workshops, and so maybe that looks like expanding the workshops. Maybe we have a smaller version of the festival. You know, I’m not quite sure in what capacity that would look like, but it’s not the end of the conversation,” said Labar-Tapia.
It’s still too early to see exactly how Santa Fe will work with the Sundance Institute. Whoever wins the host bid will start having the film festival in 2027.
These cities are still in the running:
- Boulder, Colorado
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Salt Lake City, Utah
Atlanta, Georgia, was also in the running, but learned the same fate that Santa Fe did Thursday.
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber issued this statement following the announcement Thursday:
“They just opened the envelope, and Santa Fe didn’t get the Oscar from the Sundance Film Festival—disappointing! But we did get nominated, and we put on a great show. From the State, we got unlimited support. Our film community, hotels, and restaurants demonstrated the heart-warming character of Santa Fe. Our film Commissioner, Jennifer LaBar-Tapia was an outstanding leading lady, spearheading our team’s effort. We did hear from the Sundance that, while we won’t be their new home, there’s no doubt that Santa Fe will be a role in the future of their festival. A great big thanks to everyone who gave it their all—Santa Fe should be proud.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sent the following statement:
“We’re proud that Santa Fe was named as a finalist in the search for a new home for the legendary Sundance Film Festival. New Mexico’s spectacular beauty, thriving arts and culture, and world-class film industry make it an ideal destination for filmmakers and audiences alike. We will continue to explore opportunities to attract film events and initiatives that showcase our state’s creativity and innovation.”
New Mexico State Sen. Majority Leader Peter Wirth said in a statement:
“Santa Fe and the State of New Mexico should be proud of how far we got along this journey to become the next host city for the Sundance Film Festival. As a team we put our best foot forward and assembled a remarkable proposal. While I am disappointed Santa Fe did not make Sundance’s final cut, I have renewed confidence in our ability to showcase New Mexico and attract other marquee events to our beautiful state.”
Santa Fe County Manager Gregory S. Shaffer also sent a statement, saying:
“The fact that Santa Fe made it to the final six speaks volumes of our community, as a tourist destination, a festival and market host, and thriving film and artistic hot spot. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the City, State, and other regional partners in all of these areas.”
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