# 2018 Sundance Film Festival
The 2018 [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival) was the 2018 edition of the annual independent film festival organized by the nonprofit Sundance Institute, held January 18–28 in Park City, Salt Lake City, and [Sundance, Utah](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-resort).[1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-announces-new-programming-award-graphics-3/) It drew a record attendance of at least 124,900 people, generated a $191.6 million economic impact for Utah, and introduced a standalone Indie Episodic section and the Festival Favorite Award.[2](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/) • [3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates and venues | January 18–28, 2018, in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance, Utah[1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-announces-new-programming-award-graphics-3/) |
| Attendance | At least 124,900 attendees, an all-time high, including 45,000 out-of-state visitors and over 1,000 international visitors from at least 26 countries[2](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/) |
| Program | 13,468 submissions (3,901 features, 8,740 shorts); 192 films screened across 10 Park City theaters[3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/) |
| Awards | 28 prizes presented after 10 days and 123 feature films; Grand Jury Prizes to *The Miseducation of Cameron Post*, *Kailash*, *Of Fathers and Sons*, and *Butterflies*[4](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-awards-announced-3/) |
| New elements | Indie Episodic section; The Ray, a converted sporting goods store housing a 500-seat theater and a 40-seat mobile VR cinema; first Festival Favorite Award, won by *Science Fair*[3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/) |
| Market | Biggest sale: Sam Levinson's *Assassination Nation* for more than $10 million; Eliza McNitt's VR series *Spheres* bought for seven figures, a first for a VR project at the Festival[3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/) |
| Economic impact | $191.6 million total, $19 million in state and local tax revenue, 3,323 jobs supported[2](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/) |
## Program and new sections
The festival received 13,468 film submissions, of which 3,901 were features and 8,740 were shorts, and screened 192 films in 10 Park City theaters with a staff of 246.[3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/) Feature films run at least 50 minutes, and U.S. entries must be world premieres, a rule that shapes which completed works can compete.[5](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/advice-for-feature-filmmakers-hoping-to-get-into-the-sundance-film-festival/)
**Indie Episodic.** After several years of programming episodic content within the Special Events section, the 2018 festival introduced a standalone Indie Episodic section for stories told in multiple installments, with an emphasis on independent perspectives.[1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-announces-new-programming-award-graphics-3/) The Institute also converted a sporting goods store into The Ray, a new permanent 500-seat theater in Park City whose basement became a [New Frontier](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-frontier) exhibition space that included a 40-seat mobile VR cinema.[3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/) The New Climate strand of environmental films, VR experiences, and panels, launched in 2017, continued through 2018.[1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-announces-new-programming-award-graphics-3/)
The festival graphics were developed with students at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, using an entirely text-based campaign built around the idea of a "disruptive celebration of imperfection."[1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-announces-new-programming-award-graphics-3/)
## Awards
The Awards Ceremony took place on January 27 at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse in Park City, hosted by [Jason Mantzoukas](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-mantzoukas), with jurors presenting 28 prizes for feature filmmaking after 10 days and 123 feature films.[4](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-awards-announced-3/) Grand Jury Prizes went to *The Miseducation of Cameron Post* (U.S. Dramatic, directed by [Desiree Akhavan](https://www.edgepedia.org/desiree-akhavan)), *Kailash* (U.S. Documentary, directed by Derek Doneen), *Of Fathers and Sons* (World Cinema Documentary), and *Butterflies* (World Cinema Dramatic).[4](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-awards-announced-3/)
Audience Awards went to *Search*, *Burden*, *The Sentence*, and *[The Guilty](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-guilty-2018-film)*, and the newly created Festival Favorite Award, determined by audience ballots from all festival screenings, went to the Kids documentary *Science Fair*.[4](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-awards-announced-3/) • [3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/) Directing Awards went to Alexandria Bombach for *On Her Shoulders* (U.S. Documentary) and Sara Colangelo for *[The Kindergarten Teacher](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-kindergarten-teacher-2018-film)* (U.S. Dramatic), and Benjamin Dickey received the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting for *Blaze*.[6](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-live-awards-updates-3/)
## Market and reception
The year's largest deal went to [Sam Levinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-levinson)'s *[Assassination Nation](https://www.edgepedia.org/assassination-nation)*, which sold for over $10 million, while *Spheres*, Eliza McNitt's three-part VR series that allows audiences to journey to the heart of a black hole, fetched a seven-figure sum, marking the first time a VR work had sold at the festival.[3](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/) Trade coverage of the market itself was less favorable: many Hollywood dealmakers described the 2018 edition as slow, with "pass" reported as the most common word around town as buyers weighed the economics of independent film.[7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/slowest-sundance-ever-festival-left-235959363.html) The Guardian's retrospective noted that many attendees saw a more subdued festival than usual, but one that brought a promising set of female filmmakers and another breakout horror hit.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/30/sundance-2018-film-festival-what-did-we-learn)
## Economic impact
An independent economic impact study conducted by Y² Analytics, using expanded tracking technology that for the first time captured single-day attendees, put the festival's total economic impact at $191.6 million, up from $151.5 million the year before.[2](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/) • [9](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-sundance-preview-20180117-story.html) The event generated $19 million in state and local tax revenue and supported 3,323 jobs.[2](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/)
Out-of-town visitors spent an average of $3,518 per person over a median stay of five days, with lodging the largest expense at $62.6 million in attendee spending. Twenty percent of out-of-state attendees said it was their first visit to Utah, and 89 percent said they would likely return within the next year.[2](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/) The festival generated more than 62,000 media stories between the program announcement in late November 2017 and wrap-up coverage in early 2018, 15 percent more than the previous year, with a publicity value of $93.2 million; over 1,050 accredited press attended from 28 countries.[2](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/)
## References
1. [2018 Sundance Film Festival Announces New Programming, Award, Graphics, Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-announces-new-programming-award-graphics-3/)
2. [Sundance Institute Brings $191 Million in Economic Impact to Utah with 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-brings-191-million-in-economic-impact-to-utah-with-2018-sundance-film-festival-3/)
3. [Festival History, Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/festival-history/)
4. [2018 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced, Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-awards-announced-3/)
5. [Advice for Feature Filmmakers Hoping to Get Into the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/advice-for-feature-filmmakers-hoping-to-get-into-the-sundance-film-festival/)
6. [2018 Sundance Film Festival Live Awards Updates, Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/2018-sundance-film-festival-live-awards-updates-3/)
7. [The Slowest Sundance Ever? How the Festival Left Buyers Cold, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/slowest-sundance-ever-festival-left-235959363.html)
8. [Sundance 2018: what did we learn from this year's festival?, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/30/sundance-2018-film-festival-what-did-we-learn)
9. [A look at Sundance Film Festival's stronger than usual 2018 lineup, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-sundance-preview-20180117-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film industry, institutions, festivals, and awards › Film festivals and editions › Editions of other festivals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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