COLORADO SPRINGS — The Sundance Film Festival is officially moving to Boulder in 2027, and filmmakers in Colorado Springs are excited about the opportunities the festival will bring to the local industry.
Carlo Maldonado and Ralph Giordano, both filmmakers part of the Independent Film Society of Colorado (IFSOC), said the move will open more doors for independent filmmakers in Southern Colorado and inspire them to create.
"Sundance brings people together and it creates a new community. It's a stopping place for filmmakers who really want to make a name for themselves," said Giordano. "From an independent filmmaker point of view, having Sundance be so close, it's going to inspire them to want to make more films, because every filmmaker wants to screen at Sundance."
Maldonado said the news is encouraging for Colorado Springs' independent filmmaking industry, which has seen growth over the years.
"Independent film is really where original stories are being told, under-represented voices are being told, women of color, BIPOC," said Maldonado. "Honestly, filmmaking is the closest I think we have to walking a mile in someone else's shoes."
As celebrities and top names in the film industry look to Boulder for the festival's future, Maldonado and Giordano are hoping more attention will be drawn to local film festivals, including the Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival and Six Feet Under Horror Fest.
Evan Alderson, a producer and director based in Colorado Springs, said the festival's switch to Boulder may motivate directors to make movies in Colorado Springs.
“While Boulder, you know, may now be the place where professional, high-value independent films are screened and shown, I think Colorado Springs has an opportunity to be the place where they're made," said Alderson.
He said by creating incentives for filmmakers to make movies in the city, Colorado Springs has a chance to tap into a large amount of economic opportunity.
"The film industry is built on incentives, and like most industries, it follows the money. Colorado isn't, you know, normally known as a filmmaking state," said Alderson. "I think this... move for Sundance will have such a major impact on the state that I hope that the city can see some vision in that and can grasp the idea of participating in it."
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