The organization that hosts the famed Sundance Film Festival has selected Boulder and five other cities as finalists in its search for a new location beginning in 2027.
Boulder submitted its bid in June, with Governor Jared Polis saying the festival would help put Colorado on the map internationally as “the center of the film industry.”
Park City, Utah, has hosted the event – founded by Robert Redford – for the past four decades, but the nonprofit Sundance Institute began looking for a new location last spring because its contract with Colorado’s neighbor state will be expiring.
“If selected, hosting the festival in Colorado will create new jobs, attract out-of-state visitors, and boost winter tourism that will support small businesses in Boulder and surrounding areas while elevating Colorado’s creative industries,” Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) said in a statement.
In 2023, Sundance drew more than 130,000 attendees, who watched 90 films and 60 shorts, contributing about $118 million to Utah’s economy, according to OEDIT.
The other finalist cities are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Louisville, Ken., Santa Fe and Park City itself, which is trying to retain the signature event.
A decision isn’t expected until next year.
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