The Sundance Film Festival feels different this year.
It could be the lack of skiers crowding the streets, as this season’s subpar snowfall has left Park City’s mountainsides bare.
It’s definitely due to the absence of Sundance Institute founder, actor and director Robert Redford, who passed away last year at age 89 after a career spent advancing independent film.
But perhaps the most palpable change is the knowledge that this is Sundance’s last year in Park City after more than four decades of calling Utah home.
In 1969, Redford purchased 5,000 acres of land in Provo Canyon and named the area Sundance, after his role in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” In 1981, that land became home to the Sundance Institute’s first lab for independent filmmakers. The Sundance Institute eventually took over the U.S. Film Festival, which was first launched in Salt Lake City in 1978. In 1985, the renamed Sundance Film Festival opened in Park City, where it has been held ever since.
In 2025, the Sundance Institute announced that the Sundance Film Festival would move to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.
Park City — its mountains, its buildings, its people — has been an integral part of the Sundance Film Festival, and Sundance’s departure won’t be easy.
Amy Redford, Robert Redford’s daughter and member of the Sundance Institute board of trustees, called Park City an “extraordinary place” at a Sundance press event Wednesday night and expressed her gratitude for the festival’s years here.
“I invite you to look out and up when you can. These mountains have a funny way of adding perspective. Utah is the bedrock that allowed us to build. The Sundance Mountain Resort is the nucleus,” she said. “My dad loved this place and its people, so we invite you to stay curious about this community.”
Eugene Hernandez, the director and head of public programming of the Sundance Film Festival, added, “Being here together is always exhilarating. It’s especially meaningful this year as we gather one more time in Park City.”
Although the festival’s leadership has committed to maintaining the founding vision of Robert Redford no matter where the festival is hosted, it’s difficult for some to imagine Sundance outside its iconic home.
Actor and producer Elijah Wood said at last year’s festival that it was hard for him to separate Sundance from Park City.
“All of our memories, our shared DNA is like walking down Main Street and trudging through the snow and getting to the Eccles (Theatre) and getting to the Library (Center Theatre),” he said. “That’s part of the DNA of this place, so I don’t know, it’s a bizarre thing to imagine extrapolating this, this place from the festival.”
What will Sundance look like without Park City? And what will Park City look like without Sundance? It’s a question that filmmakers, actors, moviegoers, volunteers and locals will all be considering as they attend this year’s festival.
Here’s what the Sundance Film Festival will look like this year.
Honoring Robert Redford
Although this will be the Sundance Film Festival’s first year without Robert Redford, his presence will be deeply ingrained in this year’s programming.
The festival’s 2026 theme, “Everyone has a story,” is a phrase that Robert Redford repeated often, according to his daughter.
“He’s not the only one that said it, but he is one of the few that did something about it,” Amy Redford said.
Robert Redford was a fierce advocate for independent voices and storytelling, which was his motivation for starting the Sundance Institute. “(I) could see and feel that there were other voices out there and there were other stories to be told … but they weren’t being given a chance,” he said.
Ebs Burnough, the board chair of the Sundance Institute board of trustees, stressed the importance of fulfilling Robert Redford’s vision now and for years to come.
“We need the empathy, inspiration, and new perspectives independent storytelling provides,” he said at Wednesday’s event.
Sundance is honoring Robert Redford this year with the introduction of the Park City Legacy program, which will include “archival and restoration screenings of iconic films from previous editions, artists talks with notable Festival alumni, and a special event for the community,” per the Sundance Institute.
Notably, one of those legacy films is 1969’s “Downhill Racer,” one of Robert Redford’s earliest roles.
“Dad’s stories of getting that movie made were a source of inspiration for creating the Sundance Institute,” Amy Redford said. “The innovative energy of answering the call will be brought forward and existing, no doubt, for years to come.”
Additionally, a special event, Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford, will be held at Grand Hyatt Deer Valley on Jan. 23.
While Amy Redford expressed her grief at her father’s loss, she reiterated that the Sundance Institute will carry on his legacy.
“I know there is loss, but there is also opportunity to remember what (Robert Redford) did and why and carry it with us into our choices,” Amy Redford said.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival: ‘Everyone has a story’
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will run Jan. 22–Feb. 1, 2026, in Park City and Salt Lake City. Premiere screenings will take place Jan. 22-27, with additional showings being held throughout the festival.
This year’s lineup includes 98 feature films, 54 shorts and seven episodic projects. The festival will also host a number of Beyond Film talks and panels, including the annual Power of Story panel, which will be held in the Egyptian Theater on Jan. 27.
This year’s Park City venues are:
- Eccles Theatre
- Holiday Village Cinemas
- Library Center Theatre
- The Ray Theatre
- Redstone Cinemas
- The Yarrow Theatre
Park City’s iconic Egyptian Theater is notably not showing any film premieres, but will be hosting several talks and panels.
Sundance’s Salt Lake City venues are:
- Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
- Broadway Centre Cinemas
Saying goodbye to Park City
“We all share so many memories and life-changing moments that have occurred right here in Park City,” Eugene Hernandez said. “We all feel the significance of what we are celebrating and honoring over these next 11 days.”
That celebration will culminate on Jan. 30, when the Sundance Institute will honor its longtime home with a special event, Everyone Has a Story: Four Decades of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. The event will unite artists, staff, volunteers, attendees, and the local community to share stories of Sundance’s 43 years in Park City.
There are still no snowstorms on the horizon in Park City, so the mountains may remain bare for the duration of the festival. But as festivalgoers, locals, filmmakers and more gather one final time in the city that first gave Sundance a home, the streets will be full of stories and the people who want to hear them.
It’s unclear what the future will look like for Park City, but Sundance promises to continue its mission in Colorado and beyond.
“There are many more exciting things to come, and the festival will remain true to our mission no matter where we are,” Hernandez said. “Let’s all celebrate together as we mark these milestones and as we make new memories.”