The annual Slamdance Film Festival will permanently move to Los Angeles starting in 2025. The next edition of the festival will take place February 20-26 and will be based at Landmark Theaters Sunset and DGA Theater Complex, both in West Hollywood.
Slamdance leaves its former home in Park City, Utah, and also its place on the calendar to coincide with the Sundance Film Festival. Slamdance was founded in 1995 by a group of filmmakers who had been rejected by Sundance programmers.
Although Slamdance has long had offices in Los Angeles, moving the festival out of Utah and its overlapping dates with Sundance will begin a new chapter in the festival's history.
“We felt there was room for us in the cultural melting pot of Los Angeles to really contribute and continue Slamdance's mission: discovering filmmakers,” said Peter Baxter, president and co-founder of Slamdance.
“We've always created opportunities for filmmakers in Park City, but Los Angeles is a place where there are actually greater opportunities for Slamdance to grow,” Baxter added. “We have worked hard to make our festival accessible and inclusive, and that also has to do with socioeconomics. Many moviegoers find it quite expensive to go to film festivals, and for the filmmakers themselves, going to Park City also represents a considerable expense.”
Slamdance plans to offer in-person festival passes starting at $50 and have some programs free to the public.
Award winners at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah
(Lauren Deseberg / Slamdance Film Festival)
News of Slamdance's move to Los Angeles comes at a time when Sundance's commitment to Park City is under scrutiny. Sundance recently announced that it is accepting applications from other potential host cities for its 2027 edition, when its current contract with Park City is up for renewal. (Representatives for Sundance declined to comment for this story.) Baxter said Slamdance's move to Los Angeles was unrelated to whether or not Sundance stays in Park City.
Although the two festivals have remained somewhat intertwined over the years, Slamdance has gained momentum. “They've established their own identity with the work they do within the industry with screenings and additional grants,” said one festival veteran, speaking on condition of anonymity in light of relationships with both Sundance and Slamdance. “It's not just the anti-Sundance that they were in the first five or ten years. “Having been around so long, they are now an institution in their own right.”
Slamdance alumni have reached some of the highest positions in Hollywood. Filmmakers showing their early work at the festival include Christopher Nolan, Joe and Anthony Russo, Rian Johnson and Marc Forster, meaning directors from the DC, Marvel, Star Wars and James Bond franchises all have roots in Slamdance.
Other notable Slamdance alumni include Gina Prince-Bythewood, Lena Dunham, the Safdie brothers, Sean Baker, Merawi Gerima and “Parasite” Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho.
Peter Baxter, president and co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival, photographed in Los Angeles in April.
(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)
Steven Soderbergh, whose 1989 “Sex, Lies and Videotape” was a key film in Sundance's emergence as an industry force, first attended Slamdance in 1996 as a producer on Greg Mottola's “The Daytrippers.” Most recently, Soderbergh premiered his “High Flying Bird” at Slamdance in 2019.
“It's a different vibe,” Soderbergh said of the distinction between the two festivals. “The whole ideology behind being an independent filmmaker is not taking no for an answer and finding a way to make your work and get it seen. So it made a lot of sense to me that someone would emerge from the shadow of the great oak of Sundance to provide opportunities for more filmmakers. I was very happy to have my feet on two different skis because I think they both have a purpose.”
Joe and Anthony Russo, who premiered their film “Pieces” at Slamdance in 1997 before achieving massive success with their Marvel films, including “Avengers: Endgame,” have also maintained a close relationship with Slamdance. Since 2018, they have awarded an annual prize of $25,000 through their production company 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,” the Russos said in a statement. “The prospect of Slamdance moving to Los Angeles is really exciting. This move will undoubtedly expand its accessibility to many more filmmakers and audiences alike. “We look forward to witnessing Slamdance’s continued growth and impact in its new home.”
Co-director Sonya Ballantyne, left, and subject Sage Morin of the documentary “The Death Tour” at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival.
(Alston Crosby / Slamdance Film Festival)
Industry insiders and festival alumni aren't the only ones taking note of Slamdance's move from Park City to Los Angeles.
In a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said: “To know the history and landscape of independent storytelling is to know that Los Angeles has always been a home and source of inspiration for artists, as the creative capital of the world. Welcoming filmmakers, artists and film enthusiasts from around the world, the Slamdance Film Festival will serve as a dynamic hub for creativity, connection and career opportunities for Angelenos.”
In the early years of Slamdance's existence, Sundance founder Robert Redford famously said that Slamdance “attached itself to us in a parasitic way.” But he eventually softened his stance and was quoted in The Times in 2002 as saying: “I don't really care at all…because the goal is to promote independent film and we can't show all the independent films.” Films.”
Each Slamdance lineup is programmed by filmmakers who have previously worked on the festival, leading to the motto “by filmmakers, for filmmakers.” For example, writer and director Marie Jamora saw her feature film “What Is't There” at the festival in 2013 and began programming short films in 2014, transitioning to programming features in 2015 and 2016. She also began producing original content for the festival , was part of the jury in 2021 and is currently on the board of Slamdance. Her (she even met her husband at the festival).
“You're surrounded by people as feisty as you are,” Jamora said, “who are trying to do something a little different, maybe something that's not completely conventional. Find your like-minded tribe. It is a safe space. We help each other, we encourage each other, which I think is really fantastic because I've seen the careers of the filmmakers I supported program their films take off.”
Additionally, the move to February will add a new spot to the annual festival calendar as the industry moves forward in a year already marked by stops in Berlin, Austin's South by Southwest, Cannes, Tribeca, Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York and AFI of Los Angeles. Fest and other places.
“We need more milestones on the schedule,” Soderbergh said. “I think the more stops on the train line filmmakers and audiences and distributors have, I think it's better if there are more bites at the apple.”
“It's a devotion,” festival president Baxter said of Slamdance's underlying ideology: providing a showcase for emerging talent. “Slamdance means taking cinema to the limit.”
Despite the challenges facing film festivals around the world, their value has never been greater, bringing people together and providing needed attention. Moving away from its long entanglement with Sundance, a repositioned Slamdance should provide new opportunities for audiences and filmmakers alike.
