Sundance Will Rebuild in Boulder. What Does That Look Like?

At Sundance 2026, the last held in Park City, Utah, nostalgia was inevitable. The festival’s founder, Robert Redford, passed just four months before the event kicked off and the close-knit independent film community is anchored by veterans whose careers were forged here. Before every screening, audiences saw a short video in which Redford reminded audiences why he founded Sundance and reaffirmed his belief in fostering new independent voices.

As to how Sundance would rebuild in Boulder, Colorado — well, that question was avoided, or met with some variation of the answer Olivia Wilde gave during our Future of Filmmaking keynote chat at IndieWire’s Dropbox Studio.

“I think as long as we remain true to Redford’s vision, then that is the North Star,” said Wilde. “ And that spirit of discovery is what we need to maintain in order to keep this industry going.”

Wilde pointed to Gregg Araki, who introduced his eleventh film to premiere at Sundance, “I Want Your Sex,” by saying he would not be a filmmaker today without Redford and his mission. “I was this punk rock, queer, Asian American kid wearing a Nine Inch Nails shirt and a black leather jacket, and I was so far from Hollywood, the mainstream, any of it,” he said. “But this was a place, this was my home, they gave me a platform.”

Hundreds of careers like Araki’s were nurtured and platformed by Sundance. Among them are 2026 Best Director Oscar nominees Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, and Chloé Zhao; the latter two made the pilgrimage to Park City this year. It’s a mission the festival will now carry like a torch into Colorado.

But what does that mission look like at a time when independent film is already struggling? Today, it’s increasingly difficult to build a career like Araki’s. Also today: Everyone is clear on the value of the Sundance mission, but many believe the ability to deliver on it across the next 40 years faces an existential threat.  

Sundance was founded on experimentation in the 1980s, including the bold move from Salt Lake City to a small mountain resort. However, after speaking to more than two dozen indie film veterans, it’s clear that the festival will need to evolve significantly to continue delivering on that promise. 

In conversations with people connected to the festival, Sundance leadership understands reinvention will be necessary as it builds in Boulder. Defining that remains an open question.

Sundance declined to participate in this article, saying it wanted the focus to remain on “celebrating this meaningful year.” However, filmmakers, producers, distributors, sales agents, publicists, critics, sponsors, and former Sundance staff — many of whom credit the festival with launching or sustaining their careers — spoke on background or off the record. We asked a single, open-ended question: What does a successful move to Boulder look like?

Opinions varied, but these themes surfaced most often.

Goodbye to the Gorilla in the Birdcage

Everyone gets it: There’s deep affection for Park City, but the festival had to leave.

As Sundance became a global icon, part of its identity stemmed from wedging this gorilla of a festival into the birdcage of a tiny resort town. Over time, that mismatch lost its charm as Park City became prohibitively expensive and increasingly inaccessible.

“Most of the people I know and love in this business found each other at Sundance in our twenties and early thirties when we were just starting out,” said one veteran indie producer. “No way most of us could have afforded to do that now. Honestly, many of us had trouble affording [it] after the pandemic, but I couldn’t miss this last year in Park City.”

A studio executive was even more blunt. “There’s no way I’d ever spend the insane amount of money to be here if the studio wasn’t paying,” they said. “And because it’s so expensive, the number of people we send has shrunk.”

That contraction represents a vicious cycle. As publications, distributors, agencies, and financiers send fewer staff, it undermines Sundance’s ability to effectively introduce and platform new filmmakers. Boulder’s pitch of more venues, more housing, and greater affordability provides hope that the move can address several major issues at once.

Rising costs and logistical constraints also clogged the business of Sundance. Sponsors, distributors, sales agents, and publicists said almost universally the festival no longer offered bang for the buck. Condo and venue rental costs made sponsorship increasingly untenable, as did the sheer hassle of trying to move about the town.

That pain extended to A-list talent, who used to love coming to Park City. One celebrity told IndieWire they spend half their festival in a tinted-window SUV: It’s impossible to get around and there’s no place to hang out once they get there.

“There’s no better sign of how unsustainable Park City has become for Sundance,” said one distribution executive who watched as credit-card members were seated ahead of him at “The Invite,” one of the year’s biggest sales titles. As a sponsor benefit, Sundance reserved roughly 250 prime seats at the Eccles Theater for Chase Sapphire and JPM Reserve customers at the premiere of Charli XCX’s mocumentary “The Moment.” Dozens of regular ticket holders were turned away at the festival’s highest-profile premieres.

The front half of the Eccles Theater was reserved for sponsors at most of the big 2026 premieres

Another festival insider sympathized, noting that all festivals struggled to retain sponsors after the pandemic. “When you think about how hard Sundance has had to work just to do the impossible of making this festival work in Park City — which goes so far beyond anything you and I can even imagine — my biggest hope for Boulder is that it can eventually free up some of that energy to go towards trying new things, being inventive.” 

Longtime veterans pointed out that fearlessness and a willingness to experiment are what allowed Sundance to become a cultural force. As one said, “And holy shit, do we fucking need that right now.” 

A Better Place to Position a Film

Sales agents, publicists, filmmakers, and producers agree: Sundance post-COVID lost ground as a place to position a film, particularly when it comes to building word of mouth and momentum.

Veterans could cite pre-2020 examples of films that arrived without buzz, made an impact at their premiere, and snowballed into must-see titles by their second public screening. They struggled to name comparable examples from the past five years.

Why? And is that something Boulder can change?

Answers varied, but everyone wants more centrally located second screenings. Sundance lost a lot of prime venues in recent years, including the Temple, Prospector, and Egyptian theaters and (until 2026) the Yarrow. With second screenings often at the Redstone cineplex that’s 40 minutes away by shuttle, films have a single premiere to make an impression.

“That second screening has become a momentum killer,” said one sales agent.

A longtime publicist added, “If I had the right title, it didn’t used to matter if it opened at the Library opposite a huge premiere at the Eccles. If people were talking about it — and it didn’t have to be universally loved, just something that sparked — word would spread, and it’d find its audience at the festival. That’s just not the case anymore.”

Several also hoped Sundance would abandon the festival-period streaming that began during the pandemic.

“It used to be when you heard people talking about a film in the passholder line, or at a party, you’d quickly check to see when it played next,” said a producer and longtime Sundance attendee. “Now, people ask, ‘Is that one streaming?’”

Of course, this is the reality of streaming’s impact on the theatrical experience worldwide. However, people feel strongly that it should stop at Sundance.

“If Boulder makes the festival more accessible, that platform has got to go,” said one filmmaker.

Added a critic, “I used to feel pained to miss something at Sundance, but I’d be lying if I said that was the case anymore.”

Others suggested that a more accessible Boulder could encourage people to stay longer. “Right now, people feel they need to be here four days,” said one sales agent. “Five or six would be great, and smarter scheduling could maybe encourage that.”

However, some issues are far beyond Sundance’s control. Some blamed the collapse of “Film Twitter,” accelerated by changes to X, for weakening festival-driven word of mouth. While Letterboxd helps fill the gap, it can’t do what critic Tomris Laffly captured in this tweet.

I truly miss the festival community Twitter used to build. I loved getting some quick reads, knowing what people were planning to see or do… I see NONE of anyone’s posts. And it makes me sad. Horrid El*n algorithm. #Sundance

— Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) January 23, 2026

That’s why some see Sundance’s challenges as symptoms of a broader digital reality. For them, Boulder’s biggest opportunity is freedom to experiment.

Rebranding and Gen Z

Many hope Sundance will reconsider its brand with the move to Boulder. They point to the 1990s and 2000s, when Sundance films felt edgy and essential. Today, some feel its messaging leans closer to “eat your vegetables.”

That approach isn’t resonating with audiences, particularly younger ones. Distributors have made clear that Gen Z is now driving arthouse ticket sales, marking a significant shift away from the Baby Boomer–dominated audience of the past.

“It kills me, but Sundance, as a brand, doesn’t matter to [younger] audiences like those other things,” said one source. “And for my generation, it did.”

This isn’t about becoming more commercial. Criterion, Letterboxd, Metrograph, and the Vista all attract younger audiences with adventurous programming. Nor is it political.

“Look at PTA and Ryan [Coogler], two Sundance alums,” said one distributor, pointing to “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.” He added: “But that’s not what made those films must-see for the exact audience we are all now trying to reach. There was a sense that those films are bold and exciting.”

While no one questioned Sundance’s curation (“I trust their programming,” one source said), several felt the festival no longer draws the films it once would have. Two distribution sources cited past Sundance titles they likely wouldn’t bring today; another questioned whether Jordan Peele would still premiere “Get Out” at Sundance in 2026. Others pointed to SXSW titles to highlight what’s missing from the Sundance lineup.

‘Get Out’©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

Others rejected the rebranding argument, suggesting the issue lies with the broader struggles of American indie film. However, across both camps was near-universal agreement that Festival Director Eugene Hernandez is the right person to lead programming forward.

New Frontier and AI

Second only to ICE, the most despised topic at Sundance 2026 was AI. When I told a source that IndieWire couldn’t find a single filmmaker with a film at the festival willing to discuss using AI, they responded, “Amen.”

IndieWire spoke with several sources who said they want Sundance to take a less hands-off approach to AI, and who hope the move to Boulder — with access to stronger infrastructure and facilities — will allow the festival to recommit to New Frontier programming that was slashed after the pandemic. Many pointed to Chief Curator Shari Frilot’s early leadership in VR as a model.

“That programming mattered,” said a new media veteran. “Tech companies, left to their own devices, are never going to figure out how this shit is going to be used. We’re drowning in AI slop, there’s a place for Sundance to pick ‘the winners’ so to speak, and elevate any creative innovation actually worth seeing.”

Another source added she was sick of the AI promises and doomsday scenarios of panel discussions. “It’s time to actually see if anyone is doing anything of merit, and I trust Shari to find that.” 

There’s hope that Sundance would revive the New Frontier interactive showcases. Cancelled in 2023, they allowed attendees to walk through 20-plus installations and exhibits.

While at IndieWire’s Dropbox studio, Jess Engel spoke about the vital role Frilot’s programming played in her own career. She spearheads Darren Aronofsky’s AI-driven studio Primordial Soup; it produced Eliza McNitt’s innovative Gen-AI short “Ancestra.”

“I never would have gotten into VR if I’d just gone to a tech conference,” she said. “It was at New Frontier that I was introduced to cool artists doing something different.” And unlike those who won’t even say the word, Engel believes that AI tools must be shaped by independent creatives with Sundance playing an essential role.

Leadership and Financial Stability

Financial problems killed New Frontiers and other Sundance programs, which is why the most urgent concern has nothing to do with the films at all. It’s the festival’s balance sheet.

“You want to know what a successful move to Boulder looks like? Financial stability,” said someone with close ties to the Institute. “Everything is predicated on Sundance having the money that allows them to find, nurture, and platform the next generation of filmmakers. I trust them to do that, but I don’t see the business plan of how to get there.”

While the industry trusts Hernandez and director of programming Kim Yutani to lead programming, Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente resigned in March 2024. The relocation decision happened under board trustee Amanda Kelso, who served as acting CEO.

The announcement that David Linde will step into the CEO role on February 17 found universal praise: He’s well-liked, trusted, and considered one of the best strategic and innovative thinkers in the business. That he’ll have less than 11 months to oversee the move to Boulder is what many believe is an unforced error.

You Can’t Take It with You

Nearly $70 million in tax incentives available to Sundance over the next 10 years — along with promises of housing and facilities tied to the Boulder move — give the Institute a more solid foundation. Still, sponsors, sources familiar with the bidding process, and Institute insiders tell IndieWire they believe Sundance’s vision for Boulder is far from defined.

Insiders flagged two Park City advantages that Boulder can’t take for granted: volunteers and a central Main Street equivalent.

At more than 2,000 strong, the Utah volunteer army is irreplaceable. While Boulder could draw from the ranks of CU Boulder, the patience, professionalism, and dedication of that labor force will be hard to replace.

Main Street in Park City, Utah during the 2025 Sundance Film FestivalGetty Images

The closed-to-cars Pearl Street could be the ideal replacement for Park City’s Main Street, but sponsors aren’t yet convinced local businesses are ready to make it a central hub for major activation investments.

“I think Boulder could work, but it may take a few years,” said one sponsor. “There are lot of open questions and kinks still to work out.”

Interestingly, neither sales agents nor buyers are concerned that Boulder will affect sales. Sure, they worry about the independent film market and distribution landscape, but location is irrelevant to the issues that dog independent film.

“Sundance is about discovery,” said a sales agent. “As long as the festival remains the place you have to go to discover new voices, Hollywood will show up, and there will be a market.”

The lack of skiing in Boulder is another nonissue. Given the mounting inconvenience of Park City, a distributor said it’s no longer what lures Hollywood execs (“maybe 15 years ago, but not now”). Even a quick trip to the slopes is nearly impossible.

Another added that Boulder’s college-town energy could be an asset. “If the Sundance audience gets younger, and a film can play for that audience, distributors might be more confident in their bidding.” 

Additional reporting by Brian Welk.