Sundance Comes to Boulder

Boulder’s story is one of constant evolution. It began with the 1858 gold rush, incorporated in 1871, and grew in stature with the founding of the University of Colorado in 1874 and the arrival of Chautauqua in 1890. That spirit of innovation and preservation continued through the 20th century with the arrival of IBM and other tech pioneers, the establishment of 34 national research labs, and bold civic projects like the Blue Line, the Greenbelt, and Pearl Street Mall.

Last week, Boulder added yet another feather to its cap by becoming the new home of the Sundance Film Festival.

American politics lives downstream of American culture. For over a century, American movies have shaped global culture and served as ambassadors of American soft power, with Hollywood at its heart. From silent films to talkies, from black-and-white to Technicolor, and from analog to digital, filmmaking has continuously evolved—and the rise of artificial intelligence will undoubtedly bring another wave of transformation to the industry.

At the same time, broader cultural shifts are underway. The rise of remote work, California’s soaring cost of living, traffic gridlock, and climate pressures are quietly nudging the nation’s creative capital inland, with Colorado as a compelling alternative. With the Sundance Institute anchoring at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and the Film Festival now rooted in downtown Boulder, a new chapter in American cultural leadership is being written in the Rockies.

In its official announcement, Sundance shared: “Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town. It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish. We can’t imagine a better fit than Boulder.”

Governor Jared Polis’s vision merges our culture with commerce, and his leadership is instrumental to what could become a multi-billion-dollar creative industry in Colorado. I warmly welcome the Sundance Film Festival to its new home in Boulder.

— Sina.