That sound you hear is film buffs and critics scrambling to book their flights to Boulder, Colo.
The Sundance Film Festival has set its dates for early next year, kicking off Jan. 21 (the day of Oscar nominations) and running for the next 10 days. Unlike recent years when the festival took place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, this time around it’ll be in the Centennial State.
“Our dreams for the Sundance Film Festival in a new place are rapidly transforming into reality,” the organization announced. Amid some logistical changes, Sundance’s commitment remains the same as it’s been for more than four decades: “We’re upholding the values of our founder, Robert Redford, and building a Festival that will introduce artists and their work to new audiences, uplifting the next wave of independent storytelling, and connecting with our passionate global community and the Coloradans joining us in building our Festival’s new home.”
Read on for everything to know about the 2027 Sundance Film Festival.
THE DATES
The 2027 fest runs Jan. 21–31 in Boulder. Special world premieres will be held Jan. 21–26, while at-home screenings for those outside of Colorado will commence Jan. 28–31. The annual charity gala, which raises funds to support independent artists, takes place Jan. 22. And the jury and audience awards will be announced Jan. 29.
THE VENUES
This year, Sundance offers an array of theaters that are all within about a two-mile radius. Venues include the University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder High School, Pearl Street Mall, Boulder Theater, Casey Middle School, Chautauqua Auditorium, Dairy Arts Center, and Cinemark Century. The festival headquarters is located at Hotel Boulderado.
The Sundance team is ensuring that each space will be “state-of-the-art, allowing our artists to best present their new works to the world and giving our audiences world-class cinematic experiences.” See the festival map to learn more about all of the venues.
THE PROGRAM
The festival is expanding this year with its four competition categories growing to 12 films each: U.S. Dramatic, World Cinema Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, and World Cinema Documentary. In addition, the offscreen programming slate (Cinema Café, The Big Conversation, and Power of Story) will also be more inclusive and include live podcasts.
TICKETS
Sundance will share more information on festival passes, ticket packages, and single film tickets in September. Passes and packages go on sale in October and single film tickets in January. Sundance Institute Members get early access to tickets and discounts on merchandise.
NEW OSCAR RULES
Under new Academy rules announced May 1, the Sundance winners for the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize will automatically qualify for the 2027 Oscars in Best International Feature Film. “This change is so exciting for all of us at the Institute as it continues to uphold the mission of supporting and highlighting groundbreaking artists from around the globe,” Sundance said.
