Photo by Joelle Tamayo The Sundance Institute introduced immediately that, starting in 2027, Boulder, Colorado would be the new dwelling for its Sundance Festival. Commented Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute performing CEO in a press launch, “Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town. It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish. This is the beginning of a bold, new journey as we invite everyone to be part of our community and to be entertained and inspired. We can’t imagine a better fit than Boulder.”
From the press launch:
Together with the Boulder host committee, the Institute envisions the guts of the Festival centered in downtown Boulder using a wide selection of theaters and venues, and incorporating areas across the Pearl Street Mall, a pedestrian-only avenue. Nearby areas will provide devoted areas for our group to assemble, together with choose spots on the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder campus. The majestic Rocky Mountains will body the horizon for pageant goers. The Festival will work with the host committee to boost infrastructure and lodging choices, guaranteeing that attendees can collect and rejoice impartial storytelling in an reasonably priced and sustainable approach — key to permitting impartial movies to shine and sustaining entry for our group.”
Commented Sundance Institute board chair Ebs Burnough, “This decision was informed by a detailed evaluation of the key components essential to creating our Festival. During the process, it became clear that Boulder is the ideal location in which to build our Festival’s future, marking a key strategic step in its natural evolution.”
Colorado’s governor Jared Polis stated, “Colorado is thrilled to welcome the Sundance Film Festival to its new home in Boulder starting in 2027. Here in our state we celebrate the arts and film industry as a key economic driver, job creator, and important contributor to our thriving culture. Now, with the addition of the iconic Sundance Film Festival, we can expect even more jobs, a huge benefit for our small businesses including stores and restaurants.”
The transfer out of Park City, Utah, which has been the pageant’s dwelling since 1981, when it was known as the US Film Festival, turned public in 2023. The pageant’s contract with Park City expires in 2026, and whereas the panorama and tradition of the resort ski city has been a defining factor of the pageant’s model for the final 4 many years, Sundance additionally outgrew Park City years in the past. Housing prices have lengthy been prohibitive for filmmakers, and screening services have assorted broadly in high quality. Over current years, Sundance misplaced Park City screening venues such because the Yarrow, the Prospector, and the Racquet Club, with newer venues added on the Redstone Shopping Center, which is inconveniently outdoors of the pageant’s fundamental drag.
The choice of Boulder adopted a year-long course of, throughout which over 100 areas responded to a request for info from the pageant, 67 met eligibility necessities and have been thought-about for the RFP (request for proposal) stage, and 13 areas have been then invited to submit proposals. The choice pool was then whittled down to 6 areas that acquired web site visits from Institute representatives, resulting in the three finalists: Salt Lake City/Park City, Utah; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Boulder, CO. Speculation and debate across the transfer dominated dialog at this previous January’s Sundance Film Festival, with some arguing for the form of complete reboot a transfer to a non-resort, midwestern metropolis like Cincinnati would necessitate, whereas others favored Boulder for the continuity its snowy environs would supply. Indeed, as immediately’s press launch highlights, “The majestic Rocky Mountains will frame the horizon for festival goers.”
Filmmaker reached out to native producer and director Mitch Dickman, whose Listen Productions is predicated in close by Denver, for his response. Dickman, whose Sundance credit embrace Casting JonBenet and Being Evel, replied, “Boulder, as well as Denver, have a strong history of supporting arts and culture along the Front Range. I think audiences will relish the chance to see the films that premiere at this prestigious festival. I also feel that there is a hungry filmmaker ecosystem, including many Sundance alumni, as well as educational opportunities abound for Sundance to strengthen its relationship with the Colorado community.”
“The process included a comprehensive evaluation of finalists’ infrastructure, ethos and equity values, event capabilities, and how each finalist could sustainably serve and support the Festival’s ever-growing community of independent artists and audiences,” reads the press launch. In early March Sundance polled its artist alumni, asking them to charge the three finalist cities on classes corresponding to their perceived security and political local weather, lodging prices and transportation.
“The Sundance Film Festival’s move to Boulder, Colorado in 2027 preserves and builds on its four-decade journey,” stated Eugene Hernandez, Sundance Film Festival Director and Head of Public Programming within the press launch. “Together we continue to create a Festival that acts as a vibrant space for independent films and filmmakers to shine. A place where each January, a community of artists, industry, and audiences can gather to discover what’s new in global storytelling. This city is ready to embrace emerging and established global storytellers, our staff and volunteers, and, of course, global audiences. Whether you are a Sundance Film Festival regular, or someone who has dreamed of experiencing the Festival in person, we invite you to join us in January 2026 in Utah and then come along to nearby Colorado in 2027.”
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