ATLANTA — Chris Escobar has a full plate running the 48th annual Atlanta Film Festival at the Plaza and Tara Theatres this week, but he’s also keeping an eye on what’s happening 1,800 miles to the west.

“I think it’s time, and I think we’re the place,” Escobar said.

Escobar thinks it is time for Atlanta to be the new home of the Sundance Film Festival.

The event was made famous in Utah by none other than Robert Redford. The contract for the event, which can attract more than 100,000 visitors, is set to expire in 2026.

“I think it would be life and game-changing for Atlanta,” film director and Atlanta Film Festival participant Jan Mullins said.

The Atlanta native says her hometown is already a center for independent filmmakers. She says when you add in this being the Hollywood of the South, it makes the move from Utah a perfect fit.

“It creates another level for people to write films, direct films, and be around the people who make dreams come true for them,” Mullins said.

Escobar says Atlanta has the theatre seats, the hotel space, and the diversity. More than half of the Atlanta Film Festival’s featured films this year were directed by women and people of color.

“Sundance is about discovering and pushing new voices that don’t get seen. So, if the industry is taking diversity seriously, this is the capital of the world for that,” Escobar said.

Attendance for this year’s Atlanta Film Festival may top 25,000 people, returning to pre-pandemic levels. A red carpet event was held on Saturday night for Star Wars Day with a surprise guest in attendance at the screening of “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace”.