Boulder is in the running to be the new home for the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027. A formal bid was submitted to the festival committee this past
Recently, CINE Professors Kelly Sears and Emilie Upczak commented on the possibilty for the
“We have a real homegrown audience that’s into more artistic cinema,” CU professor and filmmaker Kelly Sears tells Boulder Weekly. “Thinking about folks who come to the, who come to the series, who come to the… I think there is a big population that is eager for cinema that skews toward the margins here.”
“This is a good time for Sundance to pivot to a new location,” CU professor and local filmmaker Emilie Upczak tells Boulder Weekly. “When we move locations, we also clean house and look at what we need and what we don’t. I hope that Sundance, in this move, would take the opportunity to look at their strengths and build on those.”Â
CINE Chair Erin Epseile was also interviewed on the subject by the
“There are so many different kinds of artists and avenues for exhibiting moving image work,” Espelie said. “I think 10 years ago that might have been a different story, but we’re living in an increasingly image-infused and visually driven world, and having a place for contemplation and consideration of moving image as an art form is incredibly important. I can’t say that there could ever be too much of it,”
In a world where in-person cinema is shrinking, Espelie said that having film festivals and post-festival discussions are more important than ever.
“Cinemas are closing in many parts of the world, and that’s a danger of an increasing online digital culture for engaging with the moving image,” Espelie said. “We certainly have enough space, and more than enough venues in Boulder to keep it alive. We make sure we keep infusing our cinemas with viewers, with the best projectors, the best sound systems and giving space and priority, culturally, for collective viewing rather than individual viewing. To have a place for all of us to come together as a community to watch cinema, and the invaluable post-screening discussions that film festivals provide — I can’t say enough that I think we need more of that. That’s how cinema is meant to be consumed, in community.”
Check out the articles for more on the potential future of Sundance in Boulder.
image credits: (Photo illustration by Matthew Jonas/Original photo by Cliff Grassmick)