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
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
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
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
A team of nine teenagers played a large role in crafting the vision for what will be the Intermountain West’s first media arts and film festival exclusively for teens. The TiltShift Festival highlights a slate of five feature-length films selected by nine teen coordinators, along with nearly 40 short films submitted by students between the … Read more
Fans of Pink Floyd’s 1982 film highlighting one of its best album releases ‘The Wall’ might remember that a recording of Vera Lynn (see below) on the 1937 Christmas song ‘The Little Boy That Santa Forgot’ is featured in the opening sequence. The song is not exactly one that comes to mind during the holiday, … Read more