Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2027 Schedule and Boulder Locations for Historic Colorado Edition
The Sundance Film Festival has officially set its 2027 festival dates and identified key venues as it prepares for its inaugural edition in Boulder, Colorado. Festival organisers announced on Tuesday that the 2027 event will commence on January 21 and conclude on January 31, maintaining its traditional late January timeframe despite the significant geographical shift.
Key Venues and Community Collaboration in Boulder
Over a dozen primary venues have been selected for the festival, including eleven theatres that will host premieres and screenings. Notable locations encompass the Boulder High School auditorium, the Casey Middle School auditorium, the Cinemark Century Boulder, and the historic Boulder Theater. Additionally, several University of Colorado Boulder sites will be utilised, such as the Macky Auditorium Concert Hall and the Roe Green Theatre.
Eugene Hernandez, the Sundance Film Festival and public programming director, emphasised the close collaboration with the local community. "Nestled at the base of Colorado's iconic Flatirons, venues across the city and CU Boulder's campus provide an ideal setting for festivalgoers from across the world to come together, revel in art, spark conversation, and create unforgettable memories," Hernandez stated in an official release.
Transition from Park City and Robert Redford's Legacy
This move follows the festival's final edition in Park City, Utah, last month, ending a long-standing association with the ski town. Sundance organisers decided to seek a new host city, citing that the event had outgrown Park City and developed an atmosphere of exclusivity that diverted attention from the films themselves. After a yearlong competitive process involving numerous American cities, Boulder emerged as the chosen location.
The relocation carries the blessing of the late Robert Redford, who founded the festival and filmmaker development programs in the Utah mountains as a sanctuary for independent storytelling away from Hollywood pressures. Redford, who passed away in September at age 89 and was an alumnus of the University of Colorado Boulder, supported the move before his death.
His daughter, Amy Redford, a member of the Sundance Institute's board of trustees, expressed enthusiasm for the transition in a recent interview with The Associated Press, acknowledging the challenges of a steep learning curve. However, she confirmed that a core part of her father's legacy—the institute's lab programs for emerging screenwriters and directors—will remain in Utah at the resort he established, approximately 34 miles south of Park City.
This strategic shift aims to rejuvenate the festival's focus on independent cinema while embracing a new community in Colorado, promising an exciting chapter for filmmakers and attendees alike in 2027.
