The Sundance Film Festival has begun recruiting approximately 2,000 volunteers to help run the festival when it comes to Boulder in January, and anyone who is interested can apply starting at the end of August.
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The festival aims to retain as many of its long-term, returning volunteers as possible while recruiting new volunteers, including Boulder County and Colorado locals.
“Many people come back year after year to volunteer because of the community,” said Harrison DeVoe, Sundance’s administrator for volunteer resources. “It’s a really passionate group of people who have a shared mission and love to see films and see how the films take life post-festival, too.”
The rewards and benefits of volunteering at Sundance are high. organizers said. Volunteers can expect access to film screenings and waitlist tickets based on their hours of service and commitment level. The festival also hosts volunteer-exclusive screenings and events, while offering complimentary Sundance gear and meal vouchers for restaurants across the state.
The roles a volunteer can hold across the Jan. 21 to Jan. 31 festival are wide and varied. They can assist at theaters by ushering or scanning tickets, or they can help artists and filmmakers get where they need to go. Volunteers assist in everything from running events and panels to preparing technology to shoveling snow.
But becoming a Sundance volunteer does require a significant time commitment. Volunteers can choose two options: assigned schedules or sign-up schedules. Within assigned schedules, there are options to become a full festival volunteer or a half festival volunteer. Full festival volunteer roles cover the duration of the festival, or roughly one shift every day of the festival from opening night to the final cleanup. Half festival roles are for people looking to experience part of the festival, and they have a requirement of six to eight shifts. A volunteer shift at Sundance is a nearly all-day role, with most shifts being six to eight hours long.
Becoming a sign-up volunteer is the most flexible option, allowing people to sign up for a few shifts that work for their schedule, especially if they have work or family obligations. The requirement for sign-up volunteers is to complete 24 hours of service, or four shifts, whichever comes first. That is the lowest time commitment option available for Sundance volunteers. Because it is such a large time commitment, DeVoe encourages people to read all of the information on the website before they apply to understand the expectations and requirements.
“Volunteers are the backbone of the festival,” DeVoe said. “We quite literally wouldn’t be able to host the event without our volunteer support.”
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Sundance won’t know how many returning volunteers will come to Boulder until applications are submitted, but the festival is looking to bring in a solid returning group, DeVoe said. The festival will also prioritize accepting local volunteers and people who already have lodging secured for the festival. Most volunteers who are traveling in from out of state will need to secure their own housing, but Sundance does provide some hotel rooms for some volunteers in management or leadership roles.
Anyone interested can apply; no specific skill sets are required. The volunteer application will open Aug. 31 and will be available online at sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/volunteer. Applicants can note any experience or skills they have, in addition to the types of roles they’re interested in.
“We ask a lot of different questions to gauge the volunteers’ skill sets and their backgrounds,” DeVoe said.
Sundance receives a lot of interest every year, and unfortunately, it can’t bring in everyone who applies, DeVoe said. It can be competitive. Sundance typically gets thousands of applications every year, knowing they have 2,000 volunteer roles to fill.
Many volunteers come back year after year, and some volunteers have been around since the festival started. Across the board, the volunteers come from wide and varied backgrounds, DeVoe said. Some are active in the film industry as filmmakers, producers and actors, but many volunteers are unaffiliated with the film industry and work as teachers or doctors, for example. During last year’s festival, Sundance had volunteers from all 50 states and more than 21 countries.
DeVoe said he’s excited to see how the volunteer program will take shape in Boulder.
“We’re really excited to open our application (on Aug. 31) and see the response from the Colorado community and see who applies,” DeVoe said.
Sundance will host several virtual volunteer information sessions in July, August and September where interested volunteer applicants can ask questions and learn more about the basics of the festival and the volunteer program. To RSVP for an informational session and view dates and times, visit sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/volunteer.
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