2027 Sundance Film Festival

The Festival will ​relocate to Boulder from Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, beginning in 2027.

The 2027 Sundance Film Festival will be held Jan. 21 to 31.

Yes, CU Boulder will be one of the Festival’s hosts and will welcome the community and filmgoers to campus. Campus officials are working closely with Sundance Institute organizers and others to plan and support the transition to Boulder. Sundance’s use of campus facilities will provide opportunities for the community including students, staff and faculty to engage with the festival. The 2027 Sundance Film Festival will use Macky Auditorium, Roe Green Theater, Old Main Chapel and the Muenzinger Auditorium. The campus priority is to continue to ensure the continuity of academic instruction and has worked with the organizers to meet campus requirements. 

To support the transition, a steering committee includes Student Life, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Chancellor, Business, Finance and Infrastructure, Leadership and Programming, Advancement, Strategic Relations and Communications, Outreach and Community Engagement and dean representatives. Steering committee members are working closely with faculty as well as with shared governance and student club leaders. 

To support the Sundance Film Festival and the many opportunities it brings while ensuring continuity of teaching, learning, research and creative work and other aspects of CU Boulder’s mission, an operational group has also been formed. This group includes staff who schedule and maintain spaces on campus for their respective school or college or administrative support unit, as well as representatives from units including the Registrar’s Office, Facilities Management, Parking, Public Safety, Auxiliary Services, Budget and Finance, Academic Resource Management, and more.

Work began in May to upgrade three iconic campus venues—Macky Auditorium, Roe Green Theatre and Muenzinger Auditorium—as CU Boulder prepares to host the 2027 Sundance Film Festival.

This page serves as the campus web page for the Sundance Film Festival and will collect information about related events happening on campus. Information about the Festival and other events planned by the Sundance Institute will be available on the Sundance Film Festival website. Access to events can vary and will be indicated in the event details.

Internship opportunities will be posted on Handshake as part of a collection for internships and jobs from Sundance. Students can learn about the opportunities on Handshake and then follow the link to apply on the Sundance webpage. You can follow Sundance on Handshake to get notified about any new opportunities they post. Check out this article to learn how to follow an employer on Handshake.

Students can apply to be a volunteer with the Sundance Institute at any time by going to the Sundance Institute website. This webpage provides information about timeline, roles and responsibilities and expectations

To request Sundance Institute participation in an academic or co-curricular event, please use this Qualtrics form. Please do not reach out directly to the Sundance Institute to request participation in academic and co-curricular events.

Courses and academic credentials related to ​the ​Sundance ​Film Festival ​should follow the normal approval process. Talk to your chair/director or dean.

Campus is excited to support participation from a variety of groups during the 2027 Sundance Film Festival while prioritizing continuity of academic instruction and day-to-day campus operations during the festival. If your unit does not currently rent space to third parties and you are interested in doing so after reading this “Offer Your Space” information, contact Kim Kruchen (kruchen@colorado.edu). Departmentally controlled classroom space cannot be rented or leased at this time. 

To prevent disruption to the campus academic and research mission, centrally controlled classrooms will not be leased or rented during the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. The Campus Use of University Facilities (CUUF) Policy states the usage priorities, noting that the first priority is for the use of classrooms, laboratories and other facilities for teaching and instructional programs. 

If your unit currently rents space to external groups, please follow these steps:

1. Review the “Activate Your Space” website information to determine the level of space usage you are interested in providing to an external entity. 
2. If your unit is interested in submitting a space for a “full buyout” or “partial buyout,” as described on the website, you need to work with the Director of Real Estate Services Steven Stasica (steven.stasica@colorado.edu).
3. If your unit is interested in a “light activation,” please submit information to this Airtable site. Once you have submitted the information to the Airtable site, please also email Kim Kruchen (kruchen@colorado.edu) about the space and information you have submitted. 

The Boulder Chamber of Commerce will match entities seeking space with space listed for rental. If you are matched with someone interested in using your unit’s space, please follow these steps:

1. Initiate an Event Management Form (EMF). The EMF must be approved in accordance with the standard campus process before space rental can be finalized. The Event and Activities Approval Guidance outlines the EMF requirements.
2. Adhere closely to the Campus Use of University Facilities (CUUF) policy and procedures, the  Alcohol Service on Campus policy, and other applicable university policies and processes. For more information, refer to the Compliance, Ethics and Policy website.

Classes, and other academic activities, must not be displaced from departmentally controlled spaces in order to lease the space for Sundance Film Festival related events. This is to prevent disruption to the campus academic and research mission, and to ensure a positive experience for students, the campus community, and patrons of the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. The Campus Use of University Facilities (CUUF) Policy provides detailed information regarding the usage priorities, noting that the first priority is for the use of classrooms, laboratories and other facilities for teaching and instructional programs.

Some units on campus have extra spaces—these exclude classrooms, laboratories and instructional spaces—that are eligible for rental by outside entities. CU Boulder is pleased to support participation from a variety of groups during the 2027 Sundance Film Festival while prioritizing continuity of academic instruction and day-to-day campus operations during the festival. If your unit does not currently rent space to third parties and you are interested in doing so after reading this “Offer Your Space” information, contact Kim Kruchen (kruchen@colorado.edu). Again, departmentally controlled classroom space cannot be rented or leased at this time. 

The university has no plans to modify teaching modalities or class meeting times during the festival. Faculty should not move any in-person course into remote modality and all instructional schedules should be carried out as normal. Should any unexpected conflicts arise between academic coursework and Sundance Film Festival programming, please contact VCAA@colorado.edu.

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