Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PARK CITY — The Sundance Film Festival, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014, was attended by more than 45,000 people and generated $86.4 million in economic impact for the state of Utah.
Those figures, as well as $6.9 million in tax revenue for the state, were announced Thursday by festival officials based on an independent study conducted by the University of Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
“Over the last 30 years, our primary goal with the Sundance Film Festival is to provide a platform for audiences to connect with independent filmmakers and their work," Laurie Hopkins, co-managing director of Sundance Institute, said in a prepared statement. "Through the research conducted by the University of Utah, we are able to see the tremendous financial impact our event has also had on the Utah economy, particularly the small businesses and local vendors who help put on the Festival.”
The study found that the festival, which is held over a 10-day period each January in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and at the Sundance Resort, supported more than 1,400 jobs and generated more than $65 million in media exposure.
"The consistent economic benefit to our state from the Sundance Film Festival is the perfect example of cultural tourism shaping a strong and diverse economy," Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said in a prepared statement. “Beyond the tax revenue, tourism dollars and global exposure, the cultural benefits to hosting the Sundance Film Festival in Utah leave a lasting impact in our classrooms and communities.”
