00:00Sundance 2026 marks a historic occasion, as it's the last year that the iconic film festival will take place in its longtime home of Park City, Utah.
00:09In honor of this momentous year, we're taking a look back at the history of the Sundance Film Festival and some of the beloved movies that it launched.
00:17It all started in 1978 when the Utah Film Commission started the Utah United States Film Festival and held it in Salt Lake City.
00:24The festival moved to nearby Park City in 1981, and that same year, Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute to champion independent filmmaking and reassert the importance of craft and story in the art and business of moviemaking.
00:39In 1984, the Sundance Institute assumed creative and administrative control of the Utah United States Film Festival, expanded it to 10 days, and showcased American independent and international films.
00:50In 1989, Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lives, and Videotape cemented the festival's status as the premier forum for indie film, after it won the Audience Award for Dramatic and went on to become the most widely successful independent film released up to that point.
01:05The festival has been the launching pad for countless notable films over the years, like 1992's Reservoir Dogs, directed by Quentin Tarantino, 1994's Clerks, directed by Kevin Smith, and 1999's The Blair Witch Project, which is considered one of the most successful independent films of all time.
01:23The 2001 festival introduced many films that would go on to become cult classics, like Memento, Donnie Darko, Wet Hot American Summer, Super Troopers, Sexy Beast, Waking Life, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
01:37In 2006, Little Miss Sunshine premiered at Sundance and fetched a record-breaking $10.5 million distribution deal.
01:44It went on to win two Academy Awards.
01:47Winter's Bone, the film that launched Jennifer Lawrence's movie career, won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic at the 2010 festival before receiving four Oscar nominations.
01:57And Sundance 2013 introduced Ryan Coogler with Fruitvale Station, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Dramatic.
02:06In 2014, Damien Chazelle's Whiplash also won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for Dramatic before winning three Academy Awards.
02:14The festival made political headlines in 2017, when an independently organized women's march brought together an estimated 8,000 people on Main Street on the third day of the festival,
02:25joining millions of others across the country in similar demonstrations.
02:292020 saw Minari win both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Dramatic before taking home an Oscar.
02:34And in 2021, COTA also won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Dramatic before winning three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
02:442024 marked the 40th anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival as we know it today and received a record-setting 17,000 film submissions from around the world.
02:54Following the 2026 event, Sundance will move to Boulder, Colorado in 2027, marking a new era for this festival that has long-platformed independent films.
03:03For much more on the history of the Sundance Film Festival, go to THR.com.
03:08This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:14The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:15The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:16The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:17The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:18The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:19The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:20The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:21The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:22The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:23The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:24The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:25The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:26The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:27The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:28The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:29The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:30The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:31The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:32The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:33The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:34The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:35The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:36The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:37The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:38The Hollywood Reporter News.
03:39The Hollywood Reporter News.
Comments