So long, Park City. Sundance Film Festival to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027
After a yearlong search, the Sundance Film Festival announced Thursday that its new home will be Boulder, Colorado, keeping Sundance in the mountains but moving it out of Park City, the Utah ski town that had for decades provided the premier independent film gathering its picturesque snowy backdrop.
Organizers said that after 40 years in the mountains, the festival had outgrown Park City, and lacked the necessary theaters or affordable housing to continue hosting what has become one of North America's most sprawling movie events. Sundance had narrowed down the options to Salt Lake City (with a smaller presence in Park City), Cincinnati and Boulder.
Boulder emerged as their choice due to its close proximity to nature, its small-town charm and an engaged community that, organizer said, provides Sundance the ideal setting for its future.
'Boulder is a tech town, it's a college town, it's an arts town, and it's a mountain town,' Amanda Kelso, acting chief executive of the Sundance Institute, said in an interview Thursday from Boulder. 'At 100,000 people, a larger town than Park City, it gives us the space to expand.'
Kelso, Sundance Institute board chair Ebs Burnough and Eugene Hernandez, director of the festival and head of programming, spoke shortly before announcing the festival's move in Boulder. Local officials, who helped lure Sundance with $34 million in tax credits over 10 years, applauded the decision.
'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,' Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (Dem.) said in a statement.
Reacting to the decision, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said Thursday that Sundance will come to regret leaving Utah.
'As I've said from the beginning, we wanted Sundance to stay,' Cox said in a statement. 'We made that clear to their leadership and put together a highly competitive package. Ultimately, this decision is theirs to make, but I believe it's a mistake and that, one day, they'll realize they left behind not just a place, but their heritage.'
A change endorsed by Sundance founder Robert Redford
A shift from Park City to Boulder means Sundance stays in the mountains but trades a luxury ski resort enclave for a growing, outdoorsy small city. The mile-high Colorado city set in the foothills of the Rockies also maintains a sense of surrounding nature — something organizers stressed as a major factor in their decision. Boulder's four-block pedestrian mall on Pearl Street, with nearby theaters, could provide a similar sense of central hub like Park City's Main Street. The Macky Auditorium, on the University of Colorado campus, is expected to be a central stage for Sundance.
The Sundance Institute was founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, who sought a location far from Hollywood to foster independent voices in film. In 1984, the institute took over the Sundance Film Festival, but the nonprofit's mission of helping young filmmakers grow through labs and workshops — Redford's real passion — continued year-round away from the festival.
The 88-year-old Redford, who attended the University of Colorado in Boulder in his youth, gave the move his blessing.
'Words cannot express the sincere gratitude I have for Park City, the state of Utah, and all those in the Utah community that have helped to build the organization,' Redford said in a statement. 'What we've created is remarkably special and defining. As change is inevitable, we must always evolve and grow, which has been at the core of our survival.'
How Sundance chose its new home
The festival made 'ethos and equity values' one of its criteria, prompting many to wonder how much local politics would influence the choice by Sundance, which emphasizes inclusivity. Cox is currently weighing a bill that would ban the flying of certain flags at schools and government buildings, including the LGBTQ pride flag.
Organizers said Boulder's 'welcoming environment aligns with the ethos the Sundance Film Festival developed in Park City.'
'This process started 18 months ago and we've been in Utah for 40 years. So politics really didn't guide the process,' Burnough said Thursday. 'It was really and truly about evolution. That's where it landed. We didn't constantly spend time examining what bill was going forward or may or may not be signed.'
With its current contract expiration date looming, the hunt for a new host city began in earnest in April 2024. The initial group of six contenders also included Atlanta, Louisville, Kentucky and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
What Sundance has meant for Park City, and the film world
Before packing up, Sundance will have one last edition in Park City in January 2026.
'The Sundance Film Festival will be the Sundance Film Festival wherever we go. What's consistent is our mission,' said Hernandez. 'This is a festival of global discovery. What's exciting about Boulder is this is a place we can build.'
Over the years, Sundance in Park City swelled into a premier marketplace for American film, drawing studio executives and parka-wearing celebrities into the Wasatch mountains every January. It helped launch countless filmmakers over the years, from Steven Soderbergh ('Sex, Lies and Videotape') to Ryan Coogler ('Fruitvale Station'). Sundance scored its first best picture winner with 'CODA' in 2022.
Sundance meant big business for Utah and Park City. In 2024, the festival had some 72,840 in-person attendees, 24,200 of whom were coming from out of state. According to the festival's economic impact report, out-of-state visitors spent an estimated $106.4 million in Utah during the festival. Its total economic impact was estimated to be $132 million, with 1,730 jobs for Utah residents and $69.7 million in Utah wages.
But the festival had also sparred with local ski resorts — Park City's other major money maker — as festivalgoers filled the hotels and left the slopes virtually empty for two weeks during peak ski season. The festival was a boon to some local businesses, but a hindrance to others. For visitors flying into the 10-day festival, ballooning rental costs increasingly factored into attending.
All three top contenders budgeted millions to lure the lucrative festival to their city. Cincinnati set aside $2.5 million for Sundance and another $2.5 million to come if it was chosen. Salt Lake City offered Sundance $3.5 million to stay in Utah.
Sundance's relocation puts two of the top U.S. film festivals in Colorado. The Telluride Film Festival, held further west in the state, runs in late August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lili Reinhart's queer indie series, 'Hal & Harper,' is hitting MUBI this fall
Sapphics, are you paying attention? You are going to want to know this: A new independent streaming series starring Lili Reinhart and Cooper Raiff is headed our way! On Monday, Deadline broke the news that streaming service MUBI acquired the rights to Hal & Harper, an eight-episode show centered around the titular codependent siblings, played by Reinhart and Raiff. Raiff also created, wrote, and directed the show. The series premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, earning rave reviews from viewers who appreciated both the heart and the comedy at the core of the show. Notably, both Reinhart and Raiff also play the much younger versions of themselves in childhood flashbacks, adding a Pen15-like quality to those sequences. If that wasn't enough to have us looking forward to Hal & Harper, it's also got a stacked cast that includes some queer faves. Mark Ruffalo plays their father, Betty Gilpin plays his girlfriend, and Bottoms' Havana Rose Liu plays the girl Hal is interested in. Oh, and did we mention Harper has a girlfriend? The Sex Lives of College Girls star Alyah Chanelle Scott tackles that role, while Addison Timlin plays the coworker Harper is crushing on. MUBI has had a hand in distributing several well-received queer films in recent years, including Shiva Baby, Knife + Heart, and Benedetta. Hal & Harper is one of a few series they have coming up, with the acquisition being praised by those hoping independent TV is a viable way forward. "MUBI is the perfect home for our very specific family show. They're a singular platform that understands the art they're putting out," Raiff told Deadline. "I am in awe of what they've done recently, and am excited to be a part of the family." And if you're still on the fence about the whole thing, we'll just leave this here: — (@) Hal & Harper will premiere on MUBI sometime this fall.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Inside the star-studded push to save the public arts from Trump's cuts
Publicly funded art programs are on the Trump administration's chopping block, particularly the National Endowment for the Arts. And organizations like the Creative Coalition and the many arts programs that rely on NEA funding are hoping that some private politicking, in addition to public pressure, can save the arts programs the Trump administration seems intent on destroying. Much like the many other programs Donald Trump and Republicans are trying to kill, the NEA is a congressionally established organization that funds art-related projects and programming nationwide, from summer concerts to school art programs. Trump's budget proposal calls for eliminating the NEA entirely, and hundreds of grants have already reportedly been pulled from projects across the country. As conservatives in Congress determine which federal programs to slash as they look to offset massive tax cuts largely designed to favor the wealthy, several celebrities with the Creative Coalition, an entertainment industry-focused advocacy group, trekked to Washington, D.C., to attempt to convince lawmakers not to slash the funds. In late April, the organization hosted what it called a 'Right to Bear Arts' gala in the capital, attended by actors like 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' star Pauline Chalamet, comedian Tig Notaro, and 'White Lotus' star Jason Isaacs. Since then, the group has been largely focused on meeting with Republicans, given the party's present control in Congress. The NEA is exactly the kind of organization that Congress should support, because it's 'the perfect example of a public-private program,' Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk told me. 'Investing in our communities through the arts makes for better and more productive citizens,' she said. Bronk points out that cuts to the NEA are also hurting programs' ability to raise private funds, since the NEA acts as a sort of 'Good Housekeeping seal of approval' that lets philanthropists know which programs they can reliably invest in. That idea that private funding can easily step in to support the arts when federal funds are cut is one of the many misconceptions that Chalamet told me she works to dispel when she speaks with members of Congress and their staffs. She said: A lot of staff of Republican Congress — men and women that we spoke to — looked at this very economically. And rightfully so. They don't want frivolous spending, sure. So they say, 'Why can't it be privately funded?' But the thing is that there are parts of rural America where people won't know who to turn to for privately funded choirs or jazz festivals. We need institutions to exist so that they can get a certain seal of approval from some semblance of authority that validates their project. Other myths the group is trying to dispel are the notion that the NEA is bankrolling coastal propaganda or that it's part of some liberal indoctrination conspiracy. 'There's rhetoric around the arts being, like, part of some kind of liberal elite agenda and, you know, access to it is much higher in cities that tend to vote blue,' Chalamet said, 'But the thing is, that's just rhetoric. That's basically looking at works of art that exist in cities and saying, 'This is what's going on across the country.' What the NEA does is fund American projects.' Funding arts nationwide, Chalamet said, allows 'many different types of people with different opinions to be able to express their opinion.' Both Bronk and Chalamet said the conservatives they spoke with frequently bring up their own experiences with the public arts growing up. So it doesn't sound like the issue here is that Republicans are wholly unfamiliar with what the NEA does. The question seems more about whether Republican lawmakers see American art — arguably our nation's greatest export — as worthy of federal investment. This article was originally published on
UPI
a day ago
- UPI
Watch: Logan Lerman, Molly Gordon play sex games in 'Oh, Hi!'
1 of 5 | Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon star in "Oh, Hi!", in theaters July 25. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics June 9 (UPI) -- Sony Pictures Classics released the trailer for Oh, Hi! on Monday. The romantic comedy opens July 25 in theaters. Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman play Iris and Isaac, a couple who go away to a remote house for a weekend. There, they discover bondage gear and Iris handcuffs Isaac to the bed. While still cuffed, Isaac says he's not interested in a relationship. So Iris leaves him cuffed for the weekend to try to convince him to get serious with her. The situation is further complicated when a friend (Geraldine Viswanathan) and her boyfriend (John Reynolds) visit and witness what Iris has done. David Cross also plays a role. Oh, Hi! Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year and later played at the Tribeca Film Festival. Sophie Brooks wrote and directed from a story by Brooks and Gordon. Brooks previously wrote and directed the film The Boy Downstairs. Gordon co-wrote, co-directed and starred in Theater Camp, which premiered at Sundance in 2023.
