Sundance Institute and the University of Colorado Boulder announced an agreement this week that deepens their partnership as the two organizations prepare for the Sundance Film Festival’s move to Boulder. The agreement builds on the festival partnership and establishes a slate of year-round academic, student and community engagement commitments.
The partnership will bring Sundance Institute representatives to campus for academic and cocurricular events between July 2026 and June 2027, including classroom visits, first-year courses, capstone projects, research events, student organization programs and campus symposiums. The Institute will also plan a tiered volunteer program, discounted and free screenings and a sustainability research collaboration.
CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz said the partnership will connect students to the people, ideas and experiences shaping their field and will strengthen Boulder’s role as a destination for creative and artistic work. Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming, said the two organizations share values around innovation, creative expression and storytelling and that the Institute is looking forward to engaging with students, faculty and staff on campus and during the festival.
Students will receive discounted festival tickets, free on-campus screenings and student-only conversations with filmmakers and festival participants. At least 100 CU Boulder students will have opportunities to volunteer during the festival, and at least 30 students will serve on a Student Advisory Board that will help shape the campus festival experience.
The agreement also establishes a pilot internship program for at least eight students and creates a pathway for qualifying student journalists to receive festival press credentials.
Beyond the festival itself, the collaboration will support interdisciplinary research, including work by students in CU Boulder’s Masters of the Environment program to develop a framework for measuring greenhouse gas emissions associated with the festival.
Sundance Film Festival is scheduled to run January 21-31, 2027 in Boulder.