Sundance Institute Workers Unionize Ahead of 2026 Festival

In the months leading up to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, the workers of the Sundance Institute are launching a unionization effort. Over 40 staffers at the non-profit organization have asked management to voluntarily recognize their union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003 by October 31st.

The Sundance Institute workers are seeking "fair" compensation and benefit offerings, a stronger commitment to diversity and inclusion, and more transparency in promotion and hiring practices. Their goal is to limit employee turnover and "resist the erasure of institutional memory" at the organization.

The unionization push comes as the Sundance Institute faces a period of transition. Since the pandemic, the Institute has undergone layoffs and turnover in its top leadership, including the CEO position. Additionally, the 2027 Sundance Film Festival will be the last held in the festival's longtime home of Park City, Utah, as the event prepares to move to Boulder, Colorado.

"We are the staff of the Sundance Institute that are on the ground and working face to face with our audiences and artists," said Sara Kenrick, a coordinator at the Institute. "We are the most valuable voices to this organization's purpose and we have slowly but surely been pushed aside. We are understaffed, underpaid, and our concerns have been overlooked."