Sundance Unveils First 2027 Legacy Films for Boulder Debut

The 2027 Sundance Film Festival runs January 21–31 in Boulder, Colorado, and Sundance has announced its first wave of Legacy programming: restored screenings of seven landmark films from the festival's history, co-presented by Letterboxd.

The lineup marks notable anniversaries in 2027. Alfonso Cuarón's "Y Tu Mamá También," Julie Taymor's "Fool's Fire," and Barbara Hammer's documentary "Nitrate Kisses" headline the slate. A special "Cinema Interruptus" screening of Christopher Nolan's "Memento" — a University of Colorado tradition in which audience members can pause the film at any moment — anchors the announcement less than three months before opening night.

"We're excited to kick off the Festival season in earnest with this first 2027 Sundance Film Festival announcement, revealing some of our Legacy programming," Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez said in a statement. "Each year we honor the legacy of our founder Robert Redford and the history of the Sundance Film Festival by looking back at just a few of the films and filmmakers who have shaped our history."

Hernandez framed the Legacy slate as continuity for a festival in transition. "Our first festival in our new home in Boulder, Colorado will bring change, but as we evolve, we'll keep at our core what we celebrate: our rich history," he said. "Sundance will always uplift independent voices, and our Legacy slate is a beautiful example of that."

On the Letterboxd partnership, Hernandez said: "it's great to collaborate with organizations that build momentum and excitement for a culture of cinematic discovery, and we look forward to having them at the Festival with us in January."

What films are in the Legacy lineup?

• "Better Luck Tomorrow" (Justin Lin, 2002) — 25th anniversary. The original 2002 Sundance cut was restored in 4K by the UCLA Film & Television Archive with Sundance Institute and Perfect Storm Entertainment, supervised by Lin at Resillion and Deluxe Audio Services, using the 35 mm camera negatives, festival print, and DA-88 sound materials. Funding came from Chris Quintos Cathcart, co-CEO of Unapologetic Projects; Paramount Pictures granted screening permission.
• "Dogtown and Z-Boys" (Stacy Peralta, 2001) — 25th anniversary of its U.S. theatrical release. The documentary, narrated by Sean Penn, won the Audience Award and Directing Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance 2001. Sony Pictures Classics restored it in 4K from the original 35 mm elements, with filmmaker approval.
• "Fool's Fire" (Julie Taymor, 1992) — 35th anniversary. Based on Poe's "Hop-Frog," the film was restored by IndieCollect with Taymor's collaboration and Golden Globe Foundation support, from a 6.5K scan of the original 35 mm negative; Endpoint Audio Labs restored the soundtrack. The screening features an extended conversation with Taymor and clips from "The Making of Fool's Fire."
• "Nitrate Kisses" (Barbara Hammer, 1992) — the landmark queer-cinema documentary had its U.S. premiere at Sundance 1993. The Academy Film Archive preserved it; BB Optics scanned the 16 mm A/B-rolls at 4K, and the mono mix came from the original 16 mm mag track. Frameline funded the restoration, supervised by the Estate of Barbara Hammer and Brydie O'Connor.
• "Real Women Have Curves" (Patricia Cardoso, 2002) — 25th anniversary. It won the Audience Award: Dramatic and a Special Jury Prize for Acting for America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros at Sundance 2002. Criterion restored it in 4K with Warner Bros. Pictures, Sundance Institute, and the Academy Film Archive from the original camera negative, supervised by Cardoso and cinematographer Jim Denault.
• "Swoon" (Tom Kalin, 1992) — 35th anniversary. The film, about the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case, won the Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic at Sundance 1992. The Academy Film Archive and UCLA Film & Television Archive restored it in 4K from 16 mm A/B negatives and 35 mm elements, supervised by Kalin and cinematographer Ellen Kuras.
• "Y Tu Mamá También" (Alfonso Cuarón, 2001) — 25th anniversary. The Mexican road-trip film, starring Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Maribel Verdú, screened at Sundance 2002 in Special Events. Esperanto Films restored it in 4K under Cuarón's supervision alongside cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki; Janus Films will release it.

What is Cinema Interruptus?

Cinema Interruptus is communal film criticism in two sessions, established at the University of Colorado Boulder's Conference on World Affairs by critic Roger Ebert and CWA founder Howard Higman. As "Memento" screens, participants can yell "Stop!" at any point to comment or ask a question; the film then resumes. Critic and author Josh Larsen, who hosted Interruptus at CWA from 2017 to 2024, will moderate, aiming to finish the entire film by the end of the second session.

"Memento" had its U.S. festival premiere at Sundance 2001, winning the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Umbrella restored it in 4K from the original interpositive materials, with approval from Nolan.

What does this change for Boulder's debut?

The Legacy slate signals that Sundance intends to carry its institutional memory — Redford's founding mission and decades of indie canon-building — into the new Colorado home rather than resetting it. Cinema Interruptus also folds a local Boulder tradition directly into the festival's format. The full Offscreen program, which includes the Interruptus event, will be announced in its entirety soon.