Except for being in the same state, three Georgia cities vying for the prestigious Sundance Film Festival don’t have a lot in common in size, reputation or feel.
Atlanta, by far Georgia’s largest city and the state capitol, is diverse, business friendly and both the Hollywood and hip-hop center of the South. Athens is dominated by the University of Georgia, its football team and a vibrant local arts and music scene. Savannah is a massive tourist draw for its Southern Gothic feel, Spanish moss, fine food and pretty waterfront.
Here are comparisons, some of which the Sundance committee will consider as it ponders possibly moving from Park City, Utah in 2027. There are 15 cities in consideration nationwide, including these three cities.
EXISTING FILM FESTIVALS
Atlanta: Atlanta Film Festival, Atlanta Underground Film Festival, Atlanta Jewish Festival, Out on Film, BronzeLens Film Festival, et. al
Athens: Athens Film Festival (debuting in 2024), Athens Short Film Festival, Athens Jewish Film Festival, EcoFocus Film Festival
Savannah: SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Mountainfilm Savannah, Savannah Jewish Film Festival
Park City/Salt Lake City: Slamdance Film Festival (besides Sundance)
NOTABLE CELEBRITIES FROM EACH CITY
Atlanta: Chris Tucker, Jeff Foxworthy, Holly Hunter, Julia Roberts, Ryan Seacrest, Ludacris, T.I., Andre 3000, Zac Brown, Spike Lee
Athens: Tituss Burgess, NeNe Leakes, Herschel Walker, Kim Basinger
Savannah: Big Boi, Billy Currington, Johnny Mercer, Stacy Keach, Flannery O’Connor, Cindy Wilson of B-52s
Park City/Salt Lake City: Roseanne Barr, Derek and Julianne Hough, Wilford Brimley
Credit: AJC file
Credit: AJC file
FAMOUS FOLKS WHO HAVE MADE CITY HOME
Atlanta: Martin Luther King Jr., Usher, Shaq, Tyler Perry, Steve Harvey, Josh Brolin, Jasmine Guy
Athens: Colt Ford, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry of R.E.M., David Lowery of Cracker
Savannah: Paula Deen, Gregg Allman
Park City/Salt Lake City: Michael Jordan, Katherine Heigl, Will Smith, Johnny Carson, Graham Russell of Air Supply
HOW MANY MOVIE THEATERS?
City of Atlanta: 20 theaters with 141 screens
Athens: 7 theaters with 44 screens
Savannah: 4 theaters with 14 screens but there are spaces like the Ben Tucker Theater and Johnny Mercer Theatre that could be outfitted for films.
Park City/Salt Lake City: 3 theaters with 13 screens in Park City; 9 theaters with 40 screens in Salt Lake City
SOURCE: Cinematreasures.com
HOW FAR FROM SIZABLE AIRPORT
City of Atlanta: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is 10 miles from downtown Atlanta
City of Athens: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is 83 miles from downtown Athens
City of Savannah: Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is 10 miles from downtown Savannah
Park City/Salt Lake City: Salt Lake City International Airport is 46 miles from downtown Park City and 6 miles from downtown Salt Lake City
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
NOTABLE NEARBY MOUNTAINS
Georgia obviously has no real skiing options since it’s too warm even in January. Mountains here are largely for hiking.
City of Atlanta: Stone Mountain, topping at 1,686 feet above sea level
City of Athens: Nothing really close by. It’s at least an hour drive to notable North Georgia mountains like Yonah Mountain and Black Rock Mountain.
City of Savannah: None. It’s pretty darn flat. No real mountains anywhere.
Park City: There are 7,300 acres of skiable terrain at Park City Mountain with a summit peak of just over 10,000 feet.
WEATHER IN JANUARY
Atlanta: average high 52, average low 34
Athens: average high 53, average low 33
Savannah: average high 61, average low 41
Park City: average high 35, average low 14
SOURCE: The Weather Channel
MAJOR POINTS OF INTEREST
Atlanta: Centennial Olympic Park, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, Stone Mountain, Coca-Cola Museum, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta Botanical Garden, High Museum
Athens: The University of Georgia campus, Georgia Theatre, Sanford Stadium, Morton Theatre, State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Savannah: Savannah Historic District, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Temple Mickvre Israel, Forsyth Park, River Street Waterfront, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Telfair Museum, nearby Tybee Island, Bonaventure Cemetery
Park City/Salt Lake City: Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain Resort, Temple Square, Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake Temple, Red Butte Garden, This is The Place Heritage Park
NOTABLE EATERIES
Atlanta: Atlas, Bacchanalia, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty, Mujo (each given a Michelin Star earlier this year)
Athens: Puma Yu’s, Weaver D’s, Last Resort Grill, Mama’s Boy, Cali N Titos
Savannah: Common Thread, Donna’s Delicious Delights, Garibaldi, Noble Fare, Taqueria El San Luis
Park City/Salt Lake City: Five5eeds, Twisted Fern, Tupelo Park City, Red Iguana, Arempa’s
SOURCE: Michelin, Southern Living, AJC, Eater, Yelp
PLACES TO PARTY
Atlanta: Sanctuary, Gold Room, MJC Concourse, Johnny’s Hideaway, Tongue & Groove, Havana Club ATL
Athens: 40 Watt Club, Manhattan bar, Sister Louisa’s Church, Buddha, Allgood Lounge
Savannah: Electric Moon Skytop Lounge + Moon Deck, The Alley Cat Lounge, The Peacock Lounge, Club One, The Lost Square
Park City/Salt Lake City: Downstairs, O.P Rockwell, Alpine Distilling Bar, Club X, The Exchange Nightclub
SOURCE: Yelp
DISTINCTIVE DRAWS THE GEORGIA CITIES HAVE THAT PARK CITY DOES NOT
Atlanta: Hub of civil rights movement, Dirty South hip hop culture, corporate headquarters to Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, heavy tree canopy
Athens: Big college town, active bar scene, lots of artsy local businesses, cool local music
Savannah: Lovely beaches, ties to “Forrest Gump” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” massive presence of SCAD, the city’s picturesque historic squares
Staff writers Adam Van Brimmer and Joe Kovac Jr. contributed to this story.
