As the impacts of climate change and threats to the planet’s sustainability become more urgent, discussions of colonizing and terraforming Mars have moved beyond idealistic fancies of science fiction writers. Some scientists have conceptualized short- and long-term scenarios of how Mars could be transformed into an inhabitable environment. The irony is that scientists also believe … Read more
In Life Animated, the magnificent documentary about a young man diagnosed with autism as a child who learns how to communicate with his family and express his emotions and thoughts by immersing himself in the world of Disney animation, Owen Suskind is unquestionably the leading man in this award-winning film. In Owen’s story, that plain … Read more
A truly international slate of children’s films that treats young viewers seriously with timely engaging stories about different cultures and issues such as immigration, learning about nature, homelessness, overcoming stereotypes and family identity highlights the sixth annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival which will be held Sept. 23-25 at the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts in … Read more
The record large slate of international films for the 13th annual Damn These Heels LGBT Film Festival which will be presented by the Utah Film Center suggests a multi-layered, life-spanning, coming-of-age theme not just in the documentaries and narratives being presented but also in the sophisticated and artistic depth of LGBT cinema, the long-game opportunity … Read more
Just months before it will open its 15th anniversary season and during a time when annual attendance for its screenings has increased by at least 50 percent in the last five years, the Utah Film Center (UFC) is facing its biggest challenges after a four-alarm fire in late March destroyed its offices in downtown Salt … Read more
Many of the scenes in the documentary film Dogtown Redemption, representing the nickname for a western section of Oakland, California in the East Bay area, likely are familiar in many cities across the country, including Salt Lake City. Initially, Amir Soltani and Chihiro Wimbush, co-directors of the film, set out more than seven years ago … Read more
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
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
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
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