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For more than four decades, Park City, Utah, hosted the Sundance Film Festival. But now it's moving to Boulder. After years of consideration, the Sundance Institute's Board of Trustees announced Thursday that the Colorado town will host its first Sundance in January 2027. (Next year's Sundance will take place in Park City and Salt Lake City.)
"During the [decision-making] 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," Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board Chair, said in a statement. "We have a profound appreciation for the finalist cities and their communities -- including Boulder, Colorado, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Salt Lake City, Utah -- who presented overwhelmingly strong proposals and dedicated their time, passion, and commitment every step of the way."
The board hopes to set up shop in Boulder's downtown area and take advantage of "a wide array of theaters and venues, and incorporating spaces around the Pearl Street Mall, a pedestrian-only street," as well as parts of the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. The host committee in Boulder promises to ensure a strong infrastructure to host the festival.
Actor Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute, based in Utah, in 1981 to inspire independent filmmakers; he's still the president of the Institute, which takes its name from his character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
"I founded the Sundance Institute with a commitment to discovering and developing independent artists, with the Sundance Film Festival serving as the platform for stories to help expand audiences and broaden the landscape," Redford said. "That mission remains even more critical today and will continue to be our core principle. ... This move will ensure that the Festival continues its work of risk taking, supporting innovative storytellers, fostering independence, and entertaining and enlightening audiences. I am grateful to the Boulder community for its support, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the Festival there."
On its website, Sundance says it planned the move to grow the festival and take advantage of more available theaters and venues for its programming. In the past, the festival has presented several movies that went on to mainstream success, including Reservoir Dogs, Napoleon Dynamite, Saw, The Blair Witch Project, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and Little Miss Sunshine. CODA became the first Sundance film to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2022.
Variety reports that more than 100 cities expressed interest in hosting Sundance but only 13 submitted proposals. Sundance's contract with Park City expires next year.