A bipartisan quartet of Colorado lawmakers introduced legislation this week that would establish a framework for providing tax credits to the Sundance Film Festival, which last fall named Boulder one of three finalists to host the world-renowned event for a decade beginning in 2027.

Colorado Reps. Julie McCluskie, D-Chaffee, and Brianna Titone, D-Jefferson, joined Colorado Sens. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Mark Baisley, R-Douglas, in sponsoring House Bill 25-1005.

While the text of the bill does not mention Sundance by name, it does specify that the bulk of the proposed tax incentives — as much as $34 million over 10 years — would be available only to a “global film festival” with a “multi-decade operating history and a verifiable track record of attracting 100,000 or more in-person ticket sales and over 10,000 out-of-state and international attendees …”

Sundance is the only event that meets that criteria and is considering a move to Colorado.

In a news release this week, Colorado House Democrats were specific about the aims of the bill: The “legislation creates a tax credit to encourage the Sundance Film Festival, as well as other smaller film festivals, to call Colorado home.”

Smaller film festivals would be eligible for up to $5 million in tax breaks over 10 years.If Boulder is selected to host the festival, it “will boost economic growth, local tourism and Colorado’s reputation as a destination for the arts,” Colorado House Democrats said.

Along with Boulder, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City/Park City, Utah, the festival’s long-time home city, are in consideration to host the event.

A final decision on the event’s new home is expected after the upcoming Sundance Film Festival scheduled to begin at the end of the month.

The Sundance Film Festival, which has been hosted by actor Robert Redford and the nonprofit Sundance Institute every winter in Park City for the past four decades, brings together thousands of film-lovers, filmmakers and celebrities to celebrate cinema and uplift artists.

Redford is no stranger to Boulder, having attended the University of Colorado for a year in the 1950s, during which he worked as a janitor at The Sink, an iconic restaurant in Boulder’s University Hill district. His son Jamie and daughter Shauna both graduated from CU, from which Redford received an honorary degree in 1987.

Boulder’s push to land the festival has garnered support from organizations throughout the Boulder Valley, Northern Colorado and beyond.

Among the parties that last year helped submit a response to a request for proposal, or RFP, to Sundance on behalf of Boulder are the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Colorado Office of Film Television and Media, Boulder Chamber, the city, the University of Colorado, the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Stanley Film Center at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.

In support of the Boulder RFP, the Colorado Economic Development Commission last year approved $1.5 million in state incentives from the EDC’s strategic fund to help lure the festival.

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival contributed more than $118 million to Utah’s economy, brought in more than 21,000 out-of-state visitors and created 1,608 jobs that paid Utah workers $63 million in wages, according to OEDIT.

This article was first published by BizWest, an independent news organization, and is published under a license agreement. © 2025 BizWest Media LLC. You can view the original here: Colorado lawmakers propose tax breaks to help lure Sundance to Boulder.