BOULDER, Colo. — People connected to the University of Colorado at Boulder filled the Boulder Theater on Wednesday afternoon to hear directly from a Sundance Film Festival programmer about their plans for the new home of the iconic film festival.
The fourth CU Night was focused on the arts, ahead of Sundance coming to town. It was also the first CU Night for Chancellor Justin Schwartz.
"I will say, the end of my first year is in five days, and this year has been truly extraordinary," Schwartz told the crowd. "Music, art, film, storytelling, creativity, innovation — these are core values in Boulder, and they are the connective tissues that unite and uplift us as people."
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In March, it was announced that Boulder would be the new home of Sundance, starting in 2027. Attendees and longtime Boulder residents at CU Night had a variety of opinions about the film festival coming to town.
"I'm actually looking forward to it," Linda LaGanga told Denver7. "Things are always changing, and sometimes we might resist it at first, but I think if we go with the flow, things work out."
"I'm not that thrilled about it," Arnie Mullen said. "Where are they going to fit all the cars? Where are they going to fit everybody? The traffic is already bad coming into town... It could just make it more expensive and more exclusive. I can't say that it's definitely going to do that, but it might."
"You have to be fairly affluent still to live in Boulder, and so now, we've priced out so many people, and I don't think that Sundance is necessarily going to change or make that any worse," Ben Landon added. "It is more symptomatic of the way Boulder has gone and, you know, Sundance is such a big film festival and it's not so much about small artists."
Landon is hopeful there will be economic benefits for the city as a result of the festival. In 2024, Sundance generated approximately $132 million in economic activity. That broke down to $13.8 million in tax revenue, more than $69 million in wages, and support of roughly 1,700 jobs.
There were more than 72,000 people who attended the film festival in Park City last year.
- Our sister station, KSTU, in Salt Lake City, chronicled the festival's 40-year career in Utah. You can watch their story in the video player below
While addressing the crowd at CU Night, Sundance Film Festival programmer Sudeep Sharma said the university was an exciting feature to consider when searching for a new home for the festival. He discussed the potential to collaborate with different programs within CU, adding that the goal is to become part of the Boulder community.
"The university is such a special place with, we think, shared values with the Sundance Institute and the film festival in terms of independent thought, artistic expression and social imprint impact," Sharma said. "The university actually was one of the first, I believe, the first stop of the team that came to visit sites here in Boulder in 2024."
Schwartz said there will be countless opportunities for students connected to Sundance.
"It's impossible to summarize the number of opportunities there's going to be," Schwartz said. "It's one of the things that differentiates us from, I think, the other bids that Sundance Film Festival had, is the fact that you've got this big, vibrant university that has a strong, long history in film and cinema."
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The chancellor also addressed the concerns from community members related to the film festival.
"Will there be more traffic? Yes, right, for that week that they're here, but there's also going to be a lot of foot traffic," Schwartz said. "We've got 18 months to prepare, and so, we'll learn the lessons from what happens in Utah. We'll probably have people there next year to see that, and get a sense of how do we do better. But I think for the most part, it's excitement. Of course, any time you throw a big party, you've got to think about the logistics, but you don't want to stop having a party."
The Sundance Institute will attend the upcoming Native Lens Symposium at Fort Lewis College in Durango at the end of June. The Colorado Film Office, which falls under the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), is assisting Native Lens in developing a symposium that aims to advance career development for Indigenous filmmakers across Colorado and in the Four Corners region.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) issued the following statement, "Since announcing that Boulder, Colorado will host the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027, we are thrilled to see the Sundance Institute already engaging in Colorado programming. Like the State of Colorado, the Sundance Institute shares our commitment to elevating diverse voices and stories, and we look forward to many opportunities to come for the arts, storytelling and film in Colorado."
