Backstage at the 2024 Utah Arts Festival: 21st edition of internationally known Fear No Film returns with 73 short films from around the world

Next to the Sundance Film Festival’s tremendous short film program, the 21st edition of the internationally acclaimed Fear No Film program at the Utah Arts Festival is the second most distinguished short film slate in Utah. Coordinated by Derek Mellus, who also is the film production manager for the Utah Film Commission, Fear No Film … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: Fear No Film marks 20th anniversary with superlative 59-film slate

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the centerpiece preview feature of the 20th Fear No Film program at the Utah Arts Festival. For a complete rundown of the Utah Made Film slate, see here. For a complete rundown of the Midnight film slate, see here. For a complete rundown of the Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Kids! Slates, … Read more

Sundance 2023: Making the Utah production stage ready for film: State’s cinematic industry made big strides in 2022

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Part I is an overview of the Utah film industry in the current moment. Part II (tomorrow) will offer a summary preview of the Sundance 2023 feature-length and short films, which The Utah Review will cover. Like nearly 2,400 of their peers who are listed in a directory of Utah film industry professionals, … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2022: 19th Fear No Film will feature most internationally diverse slate ever, with 71 short films, 23 countries, 11 languages

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the centerpiece preview feature of the 19th Fear No Film program at the Utah Arts Festival. For a complete rundown of the Utah Made Film slate, see here. For a complete rundown of the Midnight film slate, see here. In its 19th year, the Fear No Film program at the Utah … Read more

Sundance 2022: Utah’s film industry continues to grow; finds solid representation in slimmer festival slate

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Part I is an overview of the Utah film industry in the current moment. Part II (tomorrow) will offer a summary preview of the Sundance 2022 feature-length and short films, which The Utah Review will cover. It was so close. Three weeks before Sundance 2022 (Jan. 20–30) was slated to open, organizers had … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2021: You Are Always 20 takes Fear No Film’s Grand Jury Best of Show; Fear No Filmmaker Award goes to Luis Fernando Puente for The Moon and The Hummingbird

Twelve awards have been announced in the 18th Fear No Film portion of the Utah Arts Festival, including a Grand Jury Prize, Fear No Filmmaker Award, three honorable mentions and seven audience awards. Winning Grand Jury Best of Show is the Swedish short film, You Are Always 20, directed by Christer Wahlberg, is based on … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2021: Fear No Film set for three days of screening at The Leonardo, featuring nine programs totaling 67 short films from 22 countries

EDITOR’S NOTE: To read more about this year’s Fear No Film slate, including the Utah Made Film program, see here. With the pandemic, some might have wondered what the extent and scope of submissions for an international short film program might look like. This year’s Fear No Film program at the Utah Arts Festival, the … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2019: El Desierto, The End, Neighborhood take top Fear No Film festival honors

Thirteen awards were announced today in the 17th annual Fear No Film portion of the Utah Arts Festival, including a Grand Jury Prize, two Utah Short Film of The Year honors, Fear No Filmmaker Award, three honorable mentions and six audience awards. The Grand Jury Prize for Best of Show went to El Desierto (Carly … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2019: 17th annual Fear No Film brings new programming elements, record-setting slate of 88 short films

EDITOR’S NOTE: To read more about this year’s Fear No Film slate, see here, and the Utah Short Film of the Year competition, see here. There are many new enhancements in programming for the 17th annual Fear No Film program at the Utah Arts Festival. Following the outstanding curatorial leadership of Topher Horman, Derek Mellus, … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2019: Two divisions comprise the largest ever Utah Short Film of the Year competition at Fear No Film

This year’s Utah Short Film of the Year Competition is the largest in Fear No Film history for the Utah Arts Festival, as it has been split into two divisions: student, with six films; and professional, with seven. Awards will be based on jury selections and audience voting. The Best of the Best will be … Read more