Boulder’s film scene is having a moment. With the Sundance Film Festival set to land in town next January, the city is suddenly one of the country’s most intriguing hubs for indie cinema. But before Sundance rolls out the red carpet, the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) is staking its claim on the spotlight—and giving locals a reason to start watching now.

Typically, BIFF takes place in March, but organizers decided to push the festival to April 9–12 this year, a deliberate move to carve out its own space on the calendar before the arrival of Sundance. “There’s room for two festivals in Boulder,” says BIFF co-founder and director Kathy Beeck. The relationship between the two events is already taking shape: Several films that debuted at Sundance will screen at BIFF, continuing a crossover that began last year with Come See Me in the Good Light, a documentary about late Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson that won awards at both festivals.

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If Sundance skews toward awards-season heavyweights, BIFF leans into range. Its lineup blends world-renowned filmmakers with homegrown talent, alongside dedicated youth and adventure film programs, meaning everyone can find a screening that suits their taste.

This year’s fete brings 50 filmmakers to Boulder, including 20 from Colorado, and includes four Colorado premieres, plus a live podcast taping featuring Alec Baldwin.

In other words: Whether you’re chasing buzzy festival hits or just looking for a good night at the movies, BIFF offers a compelling preview of Boulder’s cinematic future. From a feel-good musical to a heist thriller to a death-defying documentary, here are the films to see.

How To Check Out the Boulder International Film Festival

5 Can’t-Miss Films at BIFF 2026

Below, five flicks worth watching this weekend.

1. Tuner (109 minutes)

Leo Woodall
Leo Woodall in Tuner. Photo courtesy of BIFF
  • When to see it: Friday, April 10 at 7:15 p.m. at the Boulder Theater
  • The showstopping moment: “Toward the beginning of Tuner, Dustin Hoffman is mentoring his young piano tuner and partner, and they are discussing the role of hearing in their profession,” Beeck says. “One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Dustin Hoffman says ‘It’s not about hearing, it’s about feeling.’ What a beautiful line.”

Starring Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman, this film follows a gifted piano tuner (Woodall) whose keen ear draws the attention of more than just musicians. Woodall gets roped into using his talents to help criminals crack safes, but his seedy side hustle puts his burgeoning romance with composition student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu) at risk. Tuner first debuted at Telluride’s Mountain Film Festival, where BIFF organizers immediately fell in love with it. “It has the perfect combination of light, feel good, and heightened thriller,” Beeck says.

2. The Cycle of Love (98 minutes)

PK
PK in The Cycle of Love. Photo courtesy of BIFF
  • When to see it: Saturday, April 11 at 2:45 p.m. at First Church; Sunday, April 12 at 10:30 a.m. at Century Boulder; Sunday, April 12 at 5:15 p.m. at the Longmont Museum
  • The showstopping moment: Framed as a retrospective, PK’s account half a century later only deepens the pull of the love story. Now an older man looking back, his reflection adds a layer of tenderness, especially in lines like: “It sounds crazy today, but it made sense to me 50 years ago,” as he recalls his decision to bike all the way to Sweden.

“This is an epic love story if there ever was one,” Beeck says. “It’s a film that fills you with a pure sense of joy.” In this true story, PK, an artist from an untouchable Indian family, does whatever it takes to be with his star-crossed lover, Lotto, from Sweden. Without enough money for a plane ticket, PK decides to bike the roughly 7,000 miles to close the space between them, guided by his vast astrological knowledge. Executive producer Chris Albert, who Beeck notes is quite the comic, will attend the documentary’s three screenings.

3. Power Ballad (98 minutes)

Nick Jonas as Danny and Paul Rudd as Rick in Power Ballad
Nick Jonas as Danny and Paul Rudd as Rick in Power Ballad. Photo by David Leary, courtesy of Lionsgate
  • When to see it: Saturday, April 11 at 2:30 p.m. at the Boulder Theater
  • The showstopping moment: “There’s a moment at the end of Power Ballad that wraps the film up perfectly,” Beeck says. “It’s a simple gesture by Paul Rudd where he gives money to a street busker, but there is so much meaning behind it. It’s hard to really nail the ending of a film, and I thought Power Ballad did just that.”

In this uplifting musical movie set in Ireland, Paul Rudd plays a past-his-prime wedding singer and Nick Jonas plays himself (well, kind of—he plays a forgotten boy-band star, so pretty close). Need we say more? When their bromance turns into a copyright battle for the chart-topping single, both men learn how far they are willing to go to be the best, and what being the best really means.

4. See You When I See You (101 minutes)

family taking photo
See You When I See You cast. Photo by Jim Frohna
  • When to see it: Sunday, April 12 at 12:30 p.m. at the Boulder Theater
  • The showstopping moment: A favorite line from the book speaks to the heart of the film: “There is no guide to grief, but it’s still okay to laugh!”

Denver comedian Adam Cayton-Holland makes his film debut as a producer with See You When I See You, adapted from his darkly funny book Tragedy Plus Time: A Tragi-comic Memoir. The dramedy—or more accurately, traumedy—takes a deep dive into the family’s healing process after Cayton-Holland’s sister commits suicide. Though the story centers on grief and trauma, it contains a surprising amount of levity. After a strong premiere at Sundance, the film heads to BIFF for its Colorado showcase, where audiences can catch a live discussion with Cayton-Holland after the screening.

5. The Dark Wizard (4 episodes, 120 minutes total)

crazy slack lining
Dean Potter in The Dark Wizard. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery
  • When to see it: Episode 1 and 2 will play Friday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Grace Commons; Episode 3 and 4 will play Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Grace Commons
  • The showstopping moment: “Dean was trying to climb the Eiger in Switzerland,” director Peter Mortimer says. “We knew there had been a bad attempt, and that he had to get out of there. What we didn’t realize was that he had to be fully rescued by the filmmaker. Dean was not in a good headspace going up, and in this footage we found, he and the filmmaker are screaming at each other. It’s intense, like a whole other level.”

Peter Mortimer, a Boulder-based climber and Emmy-winning filmmaker, has spent decades behind the camera capturing climbing’s evolution in the most visceral way. First, he brought the dirtbag culture of Yosemite rock climbing to light with Valley Uprising. Then, he put us on edge with an ambitious free climb in The Dawn Wall, before pushing us off with a tragic ending to The Alpinist. His new series with HBO, The Dark Wizard, follows the extreme feats of BASE jumper Dean Potter and examines the inner upheaval that inspired the athlete’s risky endeavors.