As Sundance Moves to Boulder, Hollywood Is Optimistic About a Much-Needed Festival Shakeup

It’s the end of Sundance as we know it and Hollywood feels … fine.

The indie film festival, created by Robert Redford in the 1970s but facing a crossroads in recent years with low sales and few breakout hits, is moving to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.

Boulder, which rests about 30 miles north of Denver, beat out a Salt Lake City/Park City hybrid and Cincinnati, Ohio, in the final round of bidding. All of the industry insiders who spoke to TheWrap said the choice was solid, the change welcome and the move absolutely necessary for the long-running festival.

“It’s kind of sad not to go to a Sundance in Park City, but I am also kind of excited about the possibilities and maybe improvements in a different location,” Carla Gutierrez, a filmmaker and editor who’s been going to Sundance since 2004 and most recently attended with her documentary “Frida” in 2024, told TheWrap. Gutierrez cited the rising cost of the festival and dwindling number of screening venues in the past few years as reasons to hope a change in location could be for the better.

The move comes amidst growing challenges for Sundance. The festival has struggled to find funding in recent years, operating at a loss in two of the last three. In fiscal year 2023, the Institute reported losses of $6.2 million on revenues of $45.6 million against costs of nearly $52 million.

That’s on top of an ice cold market for film sales the last two years in a row and particularly negative feedback on the 2025 festival’s programming, which lacked the kind of breakout hits that put Sundance on the map in the first place. For some, a shift to Boulder is seen as a way to reset.

Sophia Dilley, EVP of Concord Originals, told TheWrap her experience with the festival has always been “magical” but applauded the shift to Boulder. “In the last few years I have attended, it was clear that the festival had outgrown Park City’s infrastructure,” she said. “The move to Boulder signals the shift in scope and feels like a genuine effort to better accommodate both a growing audience and an expanded slate of projects highlighted at the festival.”

A top talent agent concurred that Sundance had simply gotten too big for the Utah ski town. “Boulder makes sense. I was told that Cincinnati had the most impressive presentation, which included commitments from the airlines for new direct flights domestically and internationally, but culturally Cincy always seemed like a longshot,” the agent told TheWrap, noting that Boulder is a better cultural fit with the progressive vibe that Park City has set over the last 40 years. By contrast, conservative Salt Lake City is rife with cultural speed bumps such as a law that restricts transgender people from using bathrooms in public buildings.

“As change is inevitable, we must always evolve and grow, which has been at the core of our survival,” Redford said in a statement Thursday. “This move will ensure that the Festival continues its work of risk-taking, supporting innovative storytellers, fostering independence and entertaining and enlightening audiences.”

That affordability will extend to festivalgoers, many of whom felt priced out of Sundance in recent years as rising hotel and travel costs in Park City combined with a slowdown of work post-COVID created a perfect storm.

“There’s a special love that I have for Sundance and the Sundance Institute because they truly support filmmakers and creative voices in pushing the form and experimenting and telling challenging stories,” Guttierez said, adding that she wonders if making the festival more affordable might have a positive impact on filmmakers presenting their work.

Jim Cummings, who won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at 2016’s Sundance for “Thunder Road,” told TheWrap he’s just glad there’s resolution after a few years of “will they/won’t they” over a potential change in location. “It’s great for Boulder,” he said.

The move to Boulder coincides with an inflection point for Sundance and the future of indie film. This year’s festival was marked by a record-low number of sales in January — only one film sold in the first six days — and complaints from attendees that the programming lacked the vitality of past fests. This is where Quentin Tarantino blew the roof off with “Reservoir Dogs.” Where Richard Linklater unveiled his formally audacious “Boyhood.” Where Ryan Coogler exploded onto the scene with “Fruitvale Station.” But 2025’s lineup lacked any clear breakouts and the biggest sale of the fest went to the well-reviewed but fairly standard horror film “Together,” starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, which sold to Neon for $17 million.

That 2025’s fest came off a similarly cool 2024 made matters worse, and buyers told TheWrap they were “disappointed with the movies and lineup” back in January. If the trend is less excitement and less business around Sundance, can a move to Boulder turn things around?

“Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town and college town. It is a place where the festival can build and flourish,” Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute’s Acting CEO, said in a statement, drawing a contrast to the “ski resort” energy of Park City.

Sundance will be centered in downtown Boulder utilizing a wide array of theaters and venues, and incorporating spaces around the Pearl Street Mall, a pedestrian-only street. The 2025 iteration of Sundance was the first to fully close off Main Street to vehicles to make the festival more walkable — in the vein of how TIFF operates in the heart of Toronto — but the comparatively sparse attendance made it more of a headache for would-be drivers than a luxury. Sundance at Boulder also plans to make use of the University of Colorado Boulder campus, a change of pace from the high school auditorium and small-town library venues used in Park City.

And while the change in venue may enliven spirits and make Sundance easier to attend, the independent film market remains a tough nut to crack — especially for documentaries. Gutierrez, who worked on films like “RBG” and “Pray Away,” acknowledged she’s “not feeling very positive about what’s happening in our country in general,” which extends to the challenges facing docs that elevate diverse voices.

“I think this push against diversity of voices has trickled down,” she said of the market’s reluctance to pick up documentaries highlighting distinct personalities or issues. “I’m just afraid that people are going to be even more cautious.”

Still, Gutierrez said she’s optimistic about the art form itself and hopes the kinds of boundary-pushing films that put Sundance on the map in the first place will continue to be made. “People who have made art in the margins is not new,” she said. “We’ve always made art in the margins.” And the margins is where Sundance has traditionally flourished.

For now, Gutierrez is already hearing rumblings that the 2026 iteration of Sundance — the last one in Park City — is “going to be a party.”

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