Sundance is coming! You may have heard that the venerable Utah-based film festival is now moving to Boulder starting in 2027. The festival has been a champion of independent films and documentaries since 1978, and it has bolstered the careers of young filmmakers along the way. The festival has remained a staple of the international circuit, although it has recently changed to reflect more U.S. films/filmmakers and added more star power in the last decade. Why did it leave Utah? How did Boulder snatch this gem? When will it start here? What does this mean for Colorado and the local film community? I will try to answer some of those questions here.

First, one note about a local screening at The Cube on Saturday, May 10 at 6:30pm. The Noir Nights Series was so popular that we added an encore from Alfred Hitchcock, Shadow of a Doubt.  Prepare to be shocked, creeped, and thrilled! See the MCA calendar for tickets: www.mca80238.com

Shadow of a Doubt. From https://film-grab.com.

Sundance Marquee in Utah. Photo by Beth Seymour

Sundance 

The monumental news came in March that the Sundance Film Festival is moving to Boulder in 2027. The festival’s lease with its home in Park City, Utah ends in 2026 and organizers  have been looking for a new home. The three finalists were Salt Lake City (keeping it close to its home), Cincinnati, and Boulder. The win came as a small surprise to most involved in the process because Cincinnati supposedly made the strongest bid and offered the most incentives (specifics of which are not public). Boulder won in the end.

Why? The Sundance Institute stated that “Boulder offers small-town charm with an engaged community, distinctive natural beauty, and a vibrant arts scene, making it the ideal location for the festival to grow.” The reasons that Sundance wished to move in the first place were that the festival had outgrown Park City and had become too exclusive, too expensive, and too limited. The move to Boulder allows the festival to expand in many ways, and the extended geography—hotels and restaurants in Denver, as well as DIA—allow its audience to expand. As an added benefit, dear reader, this film critic will finally get to attend and bring those films to you!

The financial implications for Colorado are many, and the economic impact will resonate well beyond the two weeks of the actual festival in late January/early February. The festival will bring year-round benefits such as full-time jobs, increased film production in the state, a higher profile for the University of Colorado Boulder, and, of course, tourism. The benefits may go well beyond these, however. The “Film Festival Tax Credit” bill signed by Governor Polis on April 8 provided funding for not just Sundance, but for other festivals operating across Colorado.

Smaller festivals, such as the ACT Human Rights Film Festival in Fort Collins, is one of the beneficiaries. Managing Director Beth Seymour notes, “more funding and investment in the sector will help sustain the industry, especially in times of economic uncertainty.” Seymour explains how the heightened focus on Colorado will trickle down to festivals such as ACT and they will see increased submissions (and attention) from around the world.

Colorado filmmaker Daniel Junge at the “Film Festival Tax Credit” bill signing. Photo by Beth Seymour

Colorado-based documentary filmmaker and Academy Award winner Daniel Junge sees similar ramifications: “We’ll have greater access to all of the industry folks who come to the festival. But moreover, I hope it’ll have a knock-on effect in that the state will become more hospitable to independent film given its Mecca will now be here.” In addition to this possible boon that Junge sees for Colorado, film critics, scholars, students, and residents will reap the benefits. It’s a win-win-win for Colorado and a great moment for the arts community.

Vincent Piturro, PhD., is a Professor of Film and Media Studies at MSU Denver. Contact him directly at vpiturro@msudenver.com or follow him on Twitter. For more reviews, search The Indie Prof at FrontPorchNE.com.