Just a month after Los Angeles and its creative community were devastated by widespread fires, the Slamdance Film Festival arrived last week for its first-ever edition in the city to uplift a new generation of filmmakers,

Slamdance is nearing the final day of its 2025 edition, a historic one for the festival founded in 1995 as a scrappy alternative to Sundance. The cinematic showcase has made a new home for itself in Los Angeles after spending its first three decades in Park City,

Originally created by filmmakers rejected by Sundance, Slamdance has become a community of its own and is about to kick off its first local edition at several L.A. venues.

Since 1995, Slamdance’s presence in Park City, Utah has acted as a counterpoint to Sundance’s more industry-focused, corporatized festival. Like Sundance (pending), Slamdance has chosen to decamp from Park City, Utah, choosing Los Angeles for their 31st edition, while shifting dates forward slightly to late February.

After three decades in Sundance's shadow, the Slamdance Film Festival debuts this week in Los Angeles, spotlighting L.A. films and better access for fans and filmmakers

They may both be Olympic host cities, but Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the major population hubs of their respective states, are very different places. However, they both experience poor air quality and share valley topography that traps pollutants during weather inversions.