Outstanding Alice Walker, Chernobyl documentaries on tap for Utah Film Center

Two exceptional documentaries of magnificent story-telling by women directors – one about Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker and the other about a small group of elderly women who have lived for 30 years within the forbidden zone surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster – will be screened in free, public presentations later this month … Read more

Utah Film Center sets presentations for Newtown documentary, Oscar-winning Spotlight

Two films – a documentary that premiered at Sundance in January and this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture – that delve into painful memories involving either the murder or sexual abuse of children are part of the upcoming Utah Film Center’s free, public schedule of screenings. The April 6 screening of Spotlight, the … Read more

Utah Film Center’s 5th Peek Award to honor Autism In Love documentary

Vulnerability ranks at or near the top of the most complex, challenging and compelling universal themes of love and relationships. When the documentary Autism in Love was screened last year at the Warsaw International Film Festival, it was a mind boggling experience for director Matt Fuller. “We screened it with foreign language subtitles and the … Read more

Utah filmmaker, local playwright collaborate on sharp-edged Slamdance comedy short B+A

A creative collaboration of two artists who have become prominent in the Utah Enlightenment will see their new short film screen this week at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival as part of the Fearless Filmmaking shorts program. A dark, physical comedy running just barely six minutes, B+A is the work of Connor Rickman, his crew … Read more

Impressively enlightened conscience dominates latest round of PitchNic film premieres by Spy Hop students

The latest set of PitchNic short film premieres by students at Spy Hop Productions not only impressed an audience of nearly 500 at the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts but it also signaled that all four films are ready for submission to film festivals around the country. In fact, each of the films could … Read more

Spy Hop’s 13th annual PitchNic premiere signals young filmmakers’ creative, intellectual passions

Perseverance is one of Spy Hop Productions’ most cherished values and the students needed a bigger dose than normal to get the four films ready for this week’s 13th annual premiere of PitchNic Films. Dealing with illness and college responsibilities, constructing scenes to meet artistic challenges, dealing with shooting snafus and some equipment accidents, and … Read more

Three engrossing documentaries highlight Utah Film Center October screenings

Three solidly engrossing documentaries – about the mask of masculinity, an elderly couple’s incredible gift of a large collection of contemporary art and the dynasties of two of America’s most famous musical families – will round out the October schedule of free, public screenings by the Utah Film Center. The Mask You Live In (Jennifer … Read more

Utah Film Center’s Tumbleweeds festival marks its 5th anniversary with 16 film programs from around the world

Some of the most compelling examples of family-friendly films with engaging narratives and wholesome characters will highlight the Utah Film Center’s fifth Tumbleweeds Festival this coming weekend (Sept. 25-27). The Intermountain West’s only film festival exclusively for children, Tumbleweeds will include seven Utah and two North American premieres in its slate of 12 feature-length films and … Read more

Ballet Boys, The 78 Project Movie highlight Utah Film Center’s September documentaries

Two outstanding documentaries – an award-winning film from Norway about three teen boys who aspire to become ballet dancers and an unusual musical road trip which gives several American roots musicians the opportunity to make one-of-a-kind recordings on a 1930s direct-to-disc recorder – are part of the Utah Film Center’s September screenings which are free … Read more

Largest, most diverse slate for 12th annual Damn These Heels Salt Lake City International LGBT Film Festival

The 12th annual Damn These Heels Salt Lake City International LGBT Film Festival is larger than ever but this year’s three-day Utah Film Center event is packed with the most impressive, incisive, enlightening slate of 22 films in both documentary and fictional treatments. The festival reaches a milestone this year in terms of validation and … Read more