Colorado film office plans statewide festival opportunity directory as Sundance comes to CU Boulder

Reporting note: Two interview questions were adapted from suggestions provided by the CU Independent, University of Colorado Boulder’s student news outlet.

Colorado’s film office plans to launch a free, statewide directory for volunteer and work opportunities at film festivals, giving students a new place to look for industry experience as CU Boulder prepares to host the 2027 Sundance Film Festival.

Arielle Brachfeld, Colorado’s deputy film commissioner, said the Reel Scout directory will be vetted by the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media.

The office has not announced when the directory will open. As of Aug. 6, I could not find a public launch date, signup form or searchable festival directory on the Film Office’s website.

The Film Office already uses Reel Scout for directories of Colorado filming locations, crews and production-support services.

Brachfeld introduced the new directory while describing the Colorado Film and Television Festival Coalition, which brings festivals together to work on audience development, festival growth, collaboration and joint programming.

She said the planned directory would provide opportunities to volunteer and work at festivals across the state. She did not say that every work listing would be a paid job.

The 2027 Sundance Film Festival will run Jan. 21-31 in Boulder. CU Boulder is one of the festival’s hosts, with campus activity planned at Macky Auditorium, Roe Green Theatre, Old Main Chapel and Muenzinger Auditorium.

CU Boulder says campus-based volunteer and internship opportunities will be shared through Career Services, Service Learning & Impact in Community Engagement and other campus units.

Volunteer applications open Aug. 31

Sundance volunteer applications open Aug. 31. The festival does not have a fixed general application deadline, but says applications typically close in December based on volume and placement progress.

Sundance has created a student volunteer commitment level requiring three shifts or 18 hours of service, whichever comes first. Applicants may be asked to verify that they are active students.

After students are assigned to a team, they can review its schedule and select available shifts that fit their availability. They may take additional shifts to receive more benefits.

The volunteer program lists benefits including screening access, meal vouchers, festival gear and volunteer-only events. The number of benefits varies by commitment level.

Sundance is also holding optional online volunteer information sessions. As of Aug. 6, the schedule included sessions in August and September.

Volunteer service is separate from Sundance employment. The institute directs people seeking jobs or internships to its careers page, where several festival job postings were listed as of Aug. 6.

When I asked whether student roles would be paid, Brachfeld deferred to Sundance.

“We’re not in charge of hiring or placing folks with those types of opportunities,” she said.

Brachfeld said students seeking paid positions should first develop experience, refine their skills and build professional networks so they are ready when openings become available.

Watch the interview

Colorado Deputy Film Commissioner Arielle Brachfeld discusses Sundance opportunities, student costs and entering Colorado’s film industry.

Other Colorado festivals offer a starting point

She recommended attending other Colorado film festivals before Sundance. During the interview, she pointed to festivals in Breckenridge, Aspen, Crested Butte and Denver.

“If you’ve never gone to a film festival, if you’ve never participated in a film festival, I would really encourage you to go prior to the Sundance Film Festival,” Brachfeld said.

She said attending festivals can help students understand how they operate and begin meeting filmmakers, event organizers and other industry workers.

Production-office skills beyond the camera

Her workforce advice extended beyond festival volunteering. Brachfeld said production-office coordinators, project managers and entry- and midlevel producers are among the more difficult film-industry positions to fill in Colorado.

Film programs often give students access to cameras, lighting and other technical training, she said. Productions also need workers who can plan projects and track budgets, hiring and equipment use.

Brachfeld encouraged film students to take business classes and develop project-management skills. She said those skills can help students working in writing, directing, cinematography, production design or other departments.

Her advice came partly from what she wanted while studying at CU Denver.

“I wanted the opportunity to apply for professional production experience,” Brachfeld said.

Students now have tools she did not have in college, she said. Phones and online platforms allow them to produce work, tell stories and build audiences without relying as heavily on professional production infrastructure.

But Brachfeld said relationships remain important in an industry where production companies and crews frequently assemble for individual projects.

She recommended that students and emerging professionals connect with Women in Film & Media Colorado, the Colorado Film & Video Association and Mountain Media Arts Collective. She described the organizations as possible gateways to production and creative-industry opportunities.

No comparable college program announced

Brachfeld also discussed the Film Office’s existing education programs.

The Film Exposure Program provides hands-on film instruction to rural high school students. Career Connections Panels bring film, television and digital-media professionals into high school and college classrooms.

When I asked whether the office was planning a comparable hands-on program specifically for college students, Brachfeld did not announce one.

She described the Film Office as a four-person team that relies heavily on community partners. Its current state funding supports the programs the office has already committed to, she said.

Brachfeld said the office can help communities identify organizations that might support additional workforce programs. She pointed to outside groups offering hands-on filmmaking instruction as examples.

“Our emerging workforce is such a key component of that wider strategy,” Brachfeld said.

Student pricing and placement targets remain unclear

Questions also remain about what it will cost students to participate in Sundance.

Brachfeld said more information about student pricing would be announced. CU Boulder says general information about festival passes, ticket packages and individual tickets is expected in September, but its page did not list a student price as of Aug. 6.

She also discussed broader work involving transportation, parking and community access that students could use. She did not announce a student-specific transportation subsidy or a paid participation program.

When I asked what would prove Colorado students benefited after Sundance’s first year in Boulder, Brachfeld pointed to increased production and local hiring rather than a separate target for student internships or paid placements.

“Most of our benchmarks are associated with economic development or economic impact,” she said.

Productions receiving Colorado’s film incentive must hire at least half of their in-state workforce from Colorado. Brachfeld said her office audits production records and verifies residency through driver’s licenses or other documents before tax credits are issued.

She said production-assistant and department-assistant jobs are often filled by students and emerging workers. Those positions can place new workers on set each day and expose them to several departments, she said.

Brachfeld did not identify a numerical goal for student internships, paid student placements or students hired after volunteering at Sundance.

Sundance volunteer applications open Aug. 31. As of Aug. 6, CU Boulder’s main festival page did not list a specific campus-based Sundance job or internship.

Correction: This article was updated Aug. 13, 2026, to identify Arielle Brachfeld by her official OEDIT title, and replace an incorrect source link for Colorado’s film-incentive workforce requirement. The volunteer-session schedule was also clarified to reflect the information available at publication.