Slamdance said Tuesday that its annual film festival will move to Los Angeles starting in February 2025. The move, organizers said, will allow for the continued growth of the festival’s year-round mission to provide an accessible community for independent filmmakers and creators.
The 2025 festival will run February 20-26 at venues in and surrounding Hollywood including the Landmark Theatres and the DGA Theater complex, with more locations to be announced. The festival aims to be financially accessible, with in-person passes starting at $50 and many programs free to the public.
Existing and new programs will be featured at the festival including Polytechnic, Slamdance’s free education endeavor; ’6ixty’, a series of one-minute short films made on any format; Next Wave LA, a program of new media work made by L.A.-based artists; and the experiential DIG (Digital, Interactive, Gaming) program.
Panasonic Lumix will be the official sponsor of the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles. Additional industry partners include the DGA, Landmark Theatres and 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,” AGBO co-founders Anthony and Joe Russo said today in a press release announcing the news. “Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with numerous filmmakers through our fellowship program and various initiatives at our studio. We look forward to witnessing the continued growth and impact of Slamdance in its new home.”
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, has also endorsed the move.
“We are thrilled to announce that the Slamdance Film Festival is moving to Los Angeles and will host its first event here beginning in February 2025,” she said. “To know the history and landscape of independent storytelling is to know that Los Angeles has always been a home and a source of inspiration for artists, as the creative capital of the world. As we welcome filmmakers, artists, and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, the Slamdance Film Festival will serve as a dynamic hub for creativity, connection, and job opportunities for Angelenos.”
“Slamdance is coming to Los Angeles! Building upon our success in Utah, we will grow the festival with greater accessibility in Los Angeles and continue our work in launching new films, new careers, and new ideas in filmmaking”, said Slamdance president and founder Peter Baxter. “With new and existing collaborators, our mission is to increase the global value of independent film and digital media and serve the Los Angeles arts community.”
Notable Slamdance alumni and supporters include the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), Emma and Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), Sean Baker (Anora), Rian Johnson (Knives Out), Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), Merawi Gerima (Residue), Marie Jamora (Queen Sugar) and Steven Soderbergh (High Flying Bird).
Slamdance has made its home in Park City, Utah since its founding in 1995 with screenings both in Park City at The Doubletree Park City – The Yarrow and in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah. Audiences attended in record numbers for this year’s edition, resulting in an 18% increase in ticket and pass sales compared with 2023. The move comes on the heels of the Sundance Institute announcing it has opened bids for potential locations outside of Park City, Utah to host the festival starting in 2027.
Slamdance’s 2024 lineup consisted of 113 films, 17 of which were world premiere features, with 43% of the films by BIPOC creators and 43% by female or non-binary filmmakers. All films selected in the Narrative Features and Documentary Features competition categories are directorial debuts without U.S. distribution, with budgets of less than $1 million.
Submissions for Slamdance 2025 will open May 8.