Louisville's film aspirations

Access Louisville

We didn't get the part, but we gotta keep auditioning.

Louisville was recently snubbed on a bid to land the Sundance Film Festival. As we reported a few weeks ago, the legendary film festival had Louisville on a short list for possible relocation. Then it narrowed its list even further and the Derby City is now out of the running. But that doesn't mean our film ambitions have dried up entirely.

Soozie Eastman, founder and president of 502 Film, joins the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about where the city goes from here in terms of its developing film industry. Of particular interest to us is the reuse of shuttered Louisville Gardens in Downtown Louisville, which has been proposed as a site for a sound stage that could bolster the business.

That effort was considered during the Sundance bid and is continuing forward and eyeing completion in late 2026, she said — though she's more of a supporter of the project, not an active developer on it.

"Sound stages are really, really special pieces of property within the film industry," she said. "It becomes a hub for a community. And quite honestly, while we have been doing incredibly well growing our film economy as is, having a sound stage is kinda that missing link that helps us grow to the next level."

That's just a sample of what Eastman had to say. Be sure to check out the show for more. And for a wider look at Louisville's film industry, check out this recent piece from LBF Reporter Michael Jones. (Note: This was written while Sundance was still in play.)

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.