International Film Critics Will Judge at Sundance for the First Boulder Edition

The first Sundance Film Festival in Boulder will carry a new stamp of international credibility. Sundance Institute announced in July 2026 that FIPRESCI, the international federation of film critics, will establish a jury at the festival beginning with the 2027 edition, which runs January 21 to 31, 2027.

What the jury will do

According to the festival's announcement, the FIPRESCI jury will recognize debut films from the World Narrative and World Documentary competitions. FIPRESCI juries are a fixture at major international festivals including Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, where the critics prize has often served as an early signal for films that go on to global acclaim.

For Sundance, adding a FIPRESCI prize in its first Boulder year reads as a statement: the move from Park City changes the setting, not the festival's standing in world cinema.

What this means for the Boulder debut

Programming for the 2027 festival will not be announced until much closer to January. But the structural signals are accumulating. The festival has already named its venues: eleven screening locations spread across downtown Boulder, University Hill, Chautauqua, and the University of Colorado campus, plus four venues for talks and events.

A new international jury adds another reason for global industry attendance in year one, which has direct consequences for the town itself: more accredited press, more filmmakers with debut films, and more industry guests competing for rooms during the eleven day window.

The bigger picture

Boulder's festival era begins January 21, 2027, and runs at least a decade under the festival's commitment to the city. Our guides cover the venue map, neighborhoods, and how to plan a stay around the festival core as details firm up.