Christine Vachon Talks Its Future Home

With weeks to go before a final decision is announced for the future home of the Sundance Film Festival, veteran producer Christine Vachon is weighing in with her vote: Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Oscar-nominated Killer Films co-founder is endorsing the Midwest location over fellow finalists Salt Lake City, Utah and Boulder, Colorado because she has history in the city after making five films there, and she believes it can support a festival of Sundance’s size and scope. That said, Vachon, who has no official sway in the selection, knows she’s just speaking up as someone who is heavily invested as a Sundance lifer. She is aware there are those out there who might read this interview and say, as a direct quote, “What the fuck does she know?”

“I’m not speaking as a know-it-all and not as someone who thinks they could do it better. I don’t think I could. I’m just speaking as somebody who’s been going to Sundance for a long time, who’s invested in its future, and who really just wants to see it emerge as something incredibly significant for this next generation of filmmakers,” said the Sundance vet and Oscar-nominated producer who has an enviable list of close to 150 credits dating back to the mid-1980s.

As has been widely reported, the Sundance Institute is currently in the process of zeroing in on the future home of the festival from 2027 and beyond. The roster of finalists has been narrowed down to three locations: Salt Lake City, Utah (with satellite hub in the current home of Park City), Boulder, Colorado and Cincinnati, Ohio. A final decision is expected in late March or early April, per insiders.

Vachon is weighing in ahead of the final reveal as she’s willing to stick her neck out and endorse Cincinnati for reasons she explains below. First, she wants to make it known that she’s got no sway in the final decision as it rests with Sundance Institute’s board of directors and she has “no doubt that Sundance will rise to the occasion.” But she’s got a voice and Vachon is going to use it.

I noticed a comment you left on [former IndieWire executive editor] Eric Kohn’s Facebook post about Sundance that found you weighing in on those criticizing a possible move. “Why NOT try something new, radical — and affordable — to reinvent the festival? And make it accessible to the younger generation that is inheriting it? That was Sundance’s original mission.” You agreed to talk to me about Cincinnati as a possible new home to inherit Sundance. Why Cincinnati?

We’ve made several movies there including Carol, Dark Waters, Goat, My Days of Mercy and A Kind of Murder. Kelly Reichardt just shot a movie there, and Luca Guadagnino has shot there. There’s a really vibrant filmmaking community there. There’s a terrific, terrific film commissioner, Kristen Erwin, who works there. It’s a very arts-focused, arts forward city with a great orchestra theater. Local casting is terrific because they have such a strong repertory theater. The city feels very young, very diverse.

I wasn’t in Park City this year, but I saw a lot of people online turning up their noses at it, and it made me think that they don’t understand what they’re turning their noses up at. It’s a terrific place that, to me, feels exactly like the kind of city that could really invigorate the film festival.

Jennifer Lopez was in Park City this year for Sundance with the world premiere of Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman. I did hear people saying, “Can you imagine Jennifer Lopez flying to Cincinnati for a film festival?”

Like, yes, I can. It has all of the trappings of an art and creative hub. It’s a very creative place with some interesting neighborhoods. It has the space for the festival. It has the infrastructure. Why are we to assume that someone wouldn’t go there? There’s a snobbishness to that kind of comment, which doesn’t make any sense to me. I should also add that I had the pleasure of meeting the mayor of Cincinnati, who is also very impressive.

As someone who has shot movies all over the world, what surprised you most about Cincinnati?

When we shot Carol there, we were part of the beginning of a wave of films going there. From a pragmatic point of view, it’s a place that offers a lot of different types of terrains. You’re so close to Kentucky so it’s a place that feels like it’s part midwest, part south. It gives you a lot of interesting textures, landscapes, architecture all within a 50-mile radius or so. That makes shooting there very fruitful. The community that lives there and makes movies there reminds me of the way it used to be in New York in the ’90s — people are excited about making films. There’s a lot of passion involved. What surprised me? Probably how much variety there was and how good the restaurants were.

That’s important for hosting a festival like Sundance.

Well, we sure don’t make it important in Park City now, do we?

And that’s important when you consider hosting a festival like this. I talked to a lot of people on the ground in Park City about how challenging it can be to secure a restaurant for a party, a dinner or a premiere celebration because of the cost. It’s become increasingly expensive to host something on Main Street.

It’s been that way for a long time. It’s so unaffordable now. That’s part of the reason I didn’t go this year. We had a film that we executive produced that was in the festival so we had one [Killer Films executive] attend but rending a house to give your filmmaker a good experience is thousands of dollars. That’s not even someplace great. People routinely sleep on floors, and that’s all well and good 25 years ago. But now I don’t want to sleep on a damn floor or a foldout couch.

How has it been for you to see it change over the years, not only as a filmmaker who has had many films in the festival, but also as a company leader who wants to support younger team members and younger filmmakers as a way to connect?

A big part of what film festivals are about is creating community. The fact that there is such a strong one in Cincinnati that could be built upon makes it interesting. I don’t want to underestimate the power of the film commissioner because she really goes that extra mile when you shoot there. She’s passionate about her city — lots of film commissioners are — but she actually puts her money where her mouth is and figures out solutions for filmmakers. I’m sure she would do the same if Sundance was lucky enough to end up there.

Since we’re talking about Cincinnati, it’s only fair to ask you about the other finalists. Why not Boulder? Why not Salt Lake City?

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Boulder, to me, is another place that feels expensive without a whole lot of public transportation, affordable hotels, etc. I’ll admit my ignorance because I’ve only been to Boulder once, so somebody can easily jump on me and say, “What the hell do you know?” I know what’s been reported, and that’s been reported. Salt Lake feels like not much of a change. It’s suburbanized Park City, to a degree.

I just feel like, why not make a real change? Like all those geezers who were posting on Eric’s wall on Facebook, let them not go if they don’t want to go. I’m fortunate enough to still work with a fair number of young filmmakers on the movies we make. I know how excited they are at the idea of being able to go to Sundance and afford it. They are excited to be able to see movies, meet their peers, meet potential financiers and not have to mortgage their house in order to do so.

Anything you’d like to add about Cincinnati? Or are you worried about what Sundance or festival director Eugene Hernandez might think of you using your voice to endorse the city?

Look, I love Eugene. I’ve known him for a million years. I know that he and the Sundance board will make a decision that’s best for the festival. They have survived an extraordinarily long time. Even though I’ve been going for a long time, I’m not a part of any decisions. I don’t know what they’re up against. I’m sure there’s a lot of nuance involved in that decision. Someone could read my comments and say, quite correctly, “What the fuck does she know?” I’m not speaking as a know-it-all and not as someone who thinks they could do it better. I don’t think I could. I’m just speaking as somebody who’s been going to Sundance for a long time, who’s invested in its future, and who really just wants to see it emerge as something incredibly significant for this next generation of filmmakers. I know how badly they need it, I really do. I have no doubt that Sundance will rise to the occasion. I believe that the Cincinnati could be an important part of that.