In two years, Boulder may become host to the Sundance Film Festival, the largest and arguably most influential independent film festival in the US. If Boulder wins the bid to host the festival, Sundance would bring with it hundreds of celebrities and influencers, around $5 million, and a culture of filmmaking that could benefit the entire Front Range, even here at Frederick.
Sundance is an annual film festival founded by actor Robert Redford, who was well-known for playing the Sundance Kid opposite of Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy in a 1969 western. Redford wanted to showcase new work from American and international filmmakers working outside of the Hollywood studio system.
Sundance has since become the premiere festival for independent artists: directors Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids), Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), Wes Anderson (The Fantastic Mr. Fox), Darren Aronofsky (The Black Swan), and Kevin Smith (Clerks) all became successful after their films were screened at Sundance. Actors Jennifer Lawrence, Anna Taylor-Joy, Michael B. Jordan, Elizabeth Olson, Kirsten Stewart, Mark Ruffalo, Vera Farmiga, Bradley Cooper, America Ferrara, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Dinklage all started their Hollywood careers with a Sundance film.
Since its inception in 1978, the Sundance Film Festival has been held in the small ski town of Park City, Utah. However, with the popularity and growth of the festival, recent festivals have been split between Park City and nearby Salt Lake City, which has caused issues with traffic, transportation, and other logistics.
While Sundance will stay in the cities of Park and Salt Lake for 2025 and 2026, the Sundance board of directors is considering transitioning to a different city—one that can hold the entire festival—starting in 2027. The cities that Sundance is now considering a move to are Boulder and Cincinnati, Ohio (it also may decide to stay in Park City/Salt Lake City). The final decision will be announced following next year’s Sundance Festival in late January.
If Boulder is chosen to be the next city, it would be a big deal for not just the Boulder-Longmont Metropolitan area but the entire Front Range. If Sundance performs just as well in Boulder as it does in Utah, it would bring as many as 40,000 to 50,000 visitors to the area every January and add $5 million in annual tax revenue for Boulder. According to the proposal the City of Boulder sent to Sundance, Boulder’s beautiful backdrop of the Flat Irons, lively downtown, and proximity to large hotels would draw more people in to attend the festival.
“It would be a huge boon for the city of Boulder, and it would be a huge boon for our economy, and while we certainly haven’t talked to anybody at Sundance about this, we feel like we have laid the groundwork for a festival like Sundance to come to Boulder,” Kathy Beeck, director of the Boulder International Film Festival, said to the Denver Gazette.
The Colorado Economic Development Commission gave Boulder organizers a $1.5 million grant to help the chance of the Festival come to Boulder. One of the biggest advocates for moving the festival to Colorado is Governor Jared Polis, who is a native of Boulder.
“Boulder is the next natural home to the Sundance Film Festival and we are excited to be one of the three finalists to host starting in 2027,” Polis announced. “Here in Colorado, we cherish our creative communities, the jobs they create, and the economic contributions they make to our entire state, and the Sundance Film Festival would perfectly complement the work and creative activity already happening here in Colorado.”
This year’s Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18th and was the premiere screening for I Saw the TV Glow, In a Violent Nature, It’s What’s Inside, Thelma, and Love Lies Bleeding. Celebrities including Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Will Ferrell, and Glen Powell attended. The festival also grew to employ 165 people year round and 1,608 locals for the run of the festival.
Besides bringing jobs and famous people, Sundance will also feature opportunities for Frederick High students to not just experience these films but to make them. The Sundance Institute currently hosts workshops to teach teenagers how to make films and has grants that local college-aged filmmakers (18-25) can apply for so they can try to get into the festival.
