The Sundance Institute on Friday announced that Boulder, Colorado is one of six finalists in competition to become the new home of the Sundance Film Festival.
The festival has called Park City, Utah, home for nearly 40 years. But the festival’s contract with the city is up for renewal in 2027, at which point it may move to a new location.
If Colorado can land the deal, the festival will create new jobs, attract out-of-state visitors, and boost winter tourism for Boulder and surrounding areas. It will also help to elevate the state’s creative industries.
“Hosting the Sundance Film Festival in Colorado would be transformational for film, television and media in our state. Filmmakers from the Sundance Institute’s prestigious Directors Lab, held at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park this May, are already expressing interest in filming here. We can think of no better partner than the Sundance Institute to help elevate this type of storytelling in Colorado and hope to welcome the Festival in 2027,” said Colorado Film Commissioner, Donald Zuckerman.
Boulder’s competitors include a joint bid from Park City and Salt Lake City, as well as Atlanta, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Louisville, Ky. and Cincinnati, Ohio.
According to a statement from the Sundance Institute, finalists were selected based on their ability to host the ever-growing festival, as well as “demonstrate how they would welcome and continue to foster the diverse Sundance community and culture of independent creativity that is an integral part of the Institute and festival experience.”
Boulder’s ranking among Sundance’s top picks resulted from a proposal submitted by the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, with support from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Colorado Office of Film Television and Media, and a regional coalition of partners, including the City of Boulder, the Boulder Chamber, the University of Colorado Boulder and the Stanley Film Center.
To support the proposal, the Colorado Economic Development Commission approved a one-time $1.5 million incentive. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade contributed an additional $325,000 to the proposal, including $250,000 from the Colorado Office of Film Television and Media over five years, a one-time contribution of $50,000 from the Colorado Tourism Office, and another one-time contribution of $25,000 from Colorado Creative Industries.
“I am so excited that Colorado is a finalist to host the Sundance Film Festival,” said Gov. Jared Polis, who lives in Boulder. “With the beautiful backdrop of the Flatirons, Boulder’s historical ties to the Redford Family, and the capacity to support a growing, inclusive festival, we are confident that Boulder, Colorado is the right home for the Sundance Film Festival.”
Members of the Sundance Institute selection committee will visit each of the finalist cities in the coming weeks. A final decision is expected in early 2025.
