As The Utah Review noted as part of its Sundance coverage in 2018, “there is a beautiful curation of artistry in every element of 306 Hollywood, a gem of a documentary directed by Elan Bogarín and Jonathan Bogarín.” This award-winning documentary, which premiered at Sundance and was a Utah Film Center fiscal sponsorship, will be … Read more
Several major arts organizations in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area have adapted their programming and classes to streaming and interactive platforms. Initial responses and numbers of participants also have been encouraging, indicating that arts and culture are just as essential (if not more so), even as regular routines have been upended by the coronavirus … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: For a detailed rundown of all of the feature- and short-length films for the 9th Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids, see The Utah Review feature here. The ninth presentation of the Utah Film Center’s Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids will be the largest ever with 28 screenings of 17 films from the U.S. … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: For the overview of the Tumbleweeds festival, see The Utah Review cover piece here. Taking advantage of the first Tumbleweeds festival to be held over two weekends, the Utah Film Center has programmed one of the most impressive slates of feature- and short-length films in the event’s nine-year history. The Utah Review also … Read more
In marking the completion of its first full year (2019) as a base for independent filmmakers in Utah, the Utah Film Center Artist Foundry in downtown Salt Lake City recently presented a showcase of projects that were completed during the year. Among the significant takeaways from the five shorts and three trailers for upcoming feature-length films … Read more
One of the major stories from Sundance this year has been the spotlight on youth activism, creative expression and passion for enlightenment. Giving Voice, a documentary directed by James D. Stern and Fernando Villena, is a marvelous new entry in the canon highlighting those stories. A particularly memorable passage is the beautiful string of excerpts … Read more
Director Julie Taymor had hoped to close The Glorias, an admirable creative nonfiction treatment of Gloria Steinem’s historic life that premiered at Sundance, on a different note. Anticipating that Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 presidential election, Taymor, who also directed the exceptional biopic about artist Frida Kahlo, wanted to close her latest film on … Read more
There is a scene in the sumptuous documentary The Truffle Hunters, directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, that epitomizes the true terroir of Italy’s greatest culinary experiences. Paolo, a septuagenarian who is a respected authenticating authority for judging the quality of white Alba truffles, is seated at the table, with a glass of red … Read more
After a Salt Lake City screening of Edson Oda’s Nine Days, a friend mentioned that this was the film he had been waiting for years to see that represents what he perceives as having a true Sundance experience. This is not an exaggerated assessment. With a story demonstrating how the metaphysical cosmic dimensions of science … Read more
At one point, Biosphere 2, built in the middle of the Arizona desert between 1987 and 1991, was destined to be the most significant scientific venture by the U.S. since the 1960s as NASA prepared to have astronauts walk on the moon, according to a May 1987 article in Discovery magazine. Biosphere 1 is the … Read more