Could Colorado be the future home of one of the biggest independent film festivals in the world?

Well, state officials sure hope so.

Boulder is putting in a bid to host the Sundance Film Festival, the governor’s office announced Thursday.

The festival’s organizers are considering leaving Park City, Utah — its home for more than 40 years — starting in 2027, the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced in April.

Colorado’s announcement comes as the Sundance Institute’s deadline for proposals is due Friday.

The state hopes it can keep the festival in the Mountain West region for another 10 years. It also hopes winning the bid could add hundreds of jobs and attract thousands of out-of-state visitors to Boulder and boost tourism for the city during the winter.

“With the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop and our deep commitment to the arts, we can help the Festival achieve even greater success while preserving what makes it special,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement, “building on Colorado’s iconic creative brand and our strong arts community.”

Colorado temporarily hosted the Sundance Institute’s 2024 Directors Lab — an immersion event for budding filmmakers to rehearse, shoot and edit scenes with actors — at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park last month while the Sundance Resort in Utah was under construction.

The key program has supported some of the industry’s most acclaimed directors such as Charlotte Wells (Aftersun), Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), The Daniels (Swiss Army Man) and Quentin Tarantino.

The event will come back next year, and potentially beyond.

Colorado already having experience hosting one of the organization’s events could be an advantage against other bids.

“We’re hopeful that it sets the stage for a long relationship between Colorado and the Sundance Institute,” said Colorado Film Commissioner Donald Zuckerman.

The Sundance Film Festival contributed over $118 million to Utah’s economy and created more than 1,600 jobs in 2023, according to an economic impact report from Y2 Analytics.

The film event is also tied to the ski industry as 23% of visitors intended to ski or snowboard during the festival, the report found.

The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved a $1.5 million incentive on Thursday for the proposal. State officials considered the number significant, as Utah gave $1.3 million in taxpayer money to the festival last year.

“Events like this, from my perspective, are a once in a lifetime opportunity to really bring something to Colorado that can have a long, lasting legacy and impact for our communities,” said Eve Lieberman, OEDIT’s executive director.

State officials also believe the economic effects from the event could spill over from Boulder into Denver International Airport, Colorado Springs, Loveland, Estes Park and Fort Collins.

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade is also contributing $325,000 and Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media is contributing $250,000 over five years. The Colorado Tourism Office is contributing $50,000 and the Colorado Creative Industries $25,000.

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Who else is bidding?

The Sundance Institute asked Boulder to consider putting in a proposal, according to Visit Boulder’s CEO Charlene Hoffman. It is a very competitive bid expected to attract more than a dozen of cities including the festival’s current home.

Sundance is considering a new home as its contract with Park City is up for renewal in two years. The festival will still be held in the Utah ski resort town in 2025 and 2026.

Some of the other cities who have expressed interest include Atlanta, Minneapolis and Santa Fe. San Francisco — the city that hosted the festival virtually in 2021 when Utah’s Park City was shut down during the pandemic — asked to be considered but was rejected by Sundance, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Putting in a proposal means Boulder already passed through the first round of the process.

Sundance’s organizers held a Request for Information period in April to learn about the logistical capabilities of interested cities. After approval, the next step is the Request for Proposal process in which cities have to submit a formal bid by Friday to be considered.

Colorado and Utah have a history of taking, and competing for, each other’s major events.

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The Outdoor Retailer, the outdoor recreation industry’s largest event, moved to Denver for several years. It inevitably returned to Utah, sparking backlash and the birth of a new industry event in Colorado: The Outside Festival.

The new event hosted earlier this month in downtown Denver took inspiration from the industry trade show and made it more public by hosting a music and film festival highlighting the outdoors and Colorado’s economy.

The Sundance Festival organizers are expected to make a decision late this year or early 2025.

Colorado will submit the proposal Thursday with Visit Boulder, the City of Boulder, the Boulder Chamber, the University of Colorado Boulder and the Stanley Film Center. 

Boulder’s application highlights the city’s proximity to the mountains, its urban walkability, event spaces and how it will work to foster the festival’s legacy of inclusivity for artists and filmmakers and featuring works for diverse audiences, the statement said.

“We recognized an incredible opportunity to contribute to a longstanding artistic tradition while boosting visitation and local business support during a traditionally quiet time of year for our local restaurants, hotels and retailers,” Hoffman stated.