Over the past year, Coloradans fought hard to bring the Sundance Film Festival to the state – and they won, thanks to the help of a $70 million package.
Together, the City of Boulder, Visit Boulder, the Boulder Chamber and the University of Colorado Boulder offered Sundance $34 million in incentives over 10 years, according to Visit Boulder representative Karleen Lewis.
“The City of Boulder proposed a list of performance-based incentives and in-kind donations that could include rebates, permitting reimbursements and direct services, such as assistance with traffic planning, parking coordination and public safety. These contributions have an estimated value of about $2.1 million a year,” Lewis said, adding that Visit Boulder has also pledged in-kind marketing support that is valued at about $250,000 a year, as well as $400,000 per year in cash contributions to the Sundance Film Festival as it gets established in its new location.
The remainder of local contributions is made up of the other partners’ in-kind commitments of about $300k a year, plus private donations.
That’s on top of the $34 million dollar tax incentive bill that Gov. Jared Polis signed into law on Apr. 8. The new law created a refundable tax credit that will give the festival up to $34 million in total between January 2026 and January 2037.
“We only have the details of our proposal and are not in a position to comment on what other locations offered” to Sundance, Lewis said. “The Festival has shared that they made the decision based on a variety of factors.”
When the Sundance Institute first announced Boulder as the festival’s new location, officials cited Boulder’s “small-town charm” and “engaged community,” as well as its values as “a community rooted in independent thought, artistic exploration, and social impact” as other reasons for its decision.
“Arts and culture events are key economic drivers in Boulder, with substantial and positive impact on our local vitality,” Lewis said.
She added that, according to a report from the Sundance Institute, the 2024 Sundance Film Festival generated $132 million for the state of Utah, including $13.8 million in tax revenue, $69.7 million in wages and 1,730 jobs. The festival also drew 72,840 attendees, including 24,200 from out of state, and those visitors accounted for an estimated $106.4 million in spending on hotels, dining, shopping and other activities.
Lewis said other benefits that will benefit the area long term include the development of local venues and a boost to Boulder’s hospitality industry during the typically slow winter months.
It’s clear that hosting an internationally acclaimed event will bring greater tourism and visibility to Boulder – but whether that will impact film production in the state remains to be seen.
The City of Boulder hopes that by introducing thousands of filmmakers and industry professionals to Colorado, the festival will also increase the likelihood that more films will be made in the state.
Though local filmmakers are thrilled to see the exposure and educational resources that Sundance will bring to Colorado, they doubt that the festival’s presence will have a positive impact on in-state production.
“We have tax credits – and other states are better. So most people are going to other states,” said local director and producer, Patrick Hackett. “I hear from out-of-town producers all the time how they would love to come to Colorado, but they can't make their balance sheet make sense.”
Roe Moore, a Colorado-raised, Los Angeles-based director and producer echoed this. “It’s the battle of the tax incentives,” she said.
