Merrell will debut as the Official Footwear Partner of the Sundance Film Festival when the 2027 edition opens Jan. 21, 2027, in Boulder, Colorado, the festival and the outdoor footwear brand announced.

The three-year deal pairs Merrell with Sundance Collab, the Sundance Institute's digital learning platform, according to a joint announcement published Thursday, Oct. 1. The footwear partner designation is a first for the festival, according to the announcement. The partnership centers on Merrell's "It Starts Outside" brand platform, which the Wolverine World Wide subsidiary launched earlier in 2026.

The deal's centerpiece is a filmmaker grant program that drew more than 1,200 submissions from 90 countries. Six filmmakers were selected: Sharon Liese, Ciril Jazbec, Jean Luke Miraflor, Laura Basil Duncan, Gabriella Canal and Quinne Larsen. Each will receive $20,000 from Merrell to produce a 60- to 90-second social-first film over a three-month production program with Sundance Collab mentorship.

Those films will screen at the 2027 festival, where the six directors will join a live panel on film and the outdoors.

Patty West, director of Sundance Collab, said in the announcement that the program gives filmmakers "the funding and mentorship needed to make and release their films with the support of a world-class brand like Merrell."

Richard McLeod, Merrell's chief marketing officer, said the partnership grew from the company's belief that "even the simplest moments outdoors can spark something meaningful." In an April interview with Footwear News, McLeod described the broader "It Starts Outside" effort as redefining who feels welcome in the outdoors.

The announcement lands as the Sundance Film Festival prepares for its first edition outside Park City, where the event had been held since the early 1980s. The festival contributed $196.1 million to Utah's gross domestic product in 2025, according to the Park Record. The 2026 edition was the last in Park City before the move to Boulder.

Merrell is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan, and is a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

Upcoming

The 2027 Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 21–31, 2027, in Boulder, Colorado.