The public is invited to enjoy the buzz of short films that share connections with Beehive State.
Made in Utah: Film Showcase, curated by Park City Film, the local arthouse nonprofit, is scheduled to start reeling at 7 p.m. on May 14 at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium.
The free event will screen 10 short films ranging in topics and runtime, said Katharine Wang, Park City Film executive director.
“Themes this year range from adaptive mountain biking to commercials and immigration,” she said. “We have one about the Great Salt Lake, which is an homage to this iconic natural feature in our state that is, unfortunately, under a lot of stress.”
The film slate this year is:
- “Adapt(ive),” dirs. Josh and Alisha McDarris, 11:42 minutes
- “Audi Spec,” dir. Nicolas Edwards, 1:15 minutes
- “Can I Put You on Hold,” dir. James Cutler, 11:47 minutes
- “Climbing Gabriel,” dir. Parker Fawson, 2:30 minutes
- “Connie and Clyde,” dir. Celeste Chaney, 8:36 minutes
- “Imperfect Offerings,” dir. Ella Warnick, 16:02 minutes
- “Jean Jacket,” dirs. The Nebecker Twins, 13:20 minutes
- “Little Genes,” dirs. Amy Redford and Skye Emerson, 10:16 minutes
- “Taking Shape,” dirs. Austin Smock and Jessy Fernandez, 4:47 minutes
- “The Pho King,” dir. Jeovanni Xoumphonphackdy, 6:33 minutes
The showcase’s goal is to foster connections between filmmakers and audiences and create a thriving environment for collaboration and creativity, according to Wang.
The showcase started off as the annual Filmmaker’s Showcase created by Park City-based filmmaker Jill Orschel in 2005, Wang said.
“As a local filmmaker, Jill was trying to promote the industry and help her colleagues with visibility beyond Sundance Film Festival,” she said. “You can be so inspired by these films, but you need a space to create their own stories through cinema.”
As the showcase evolved, Orschel retired and took on the role of the event’s emeritus director.
“She passed the baton to us, and we put the showcase under our Made in Utah umbrella,” Wang said.
Park City Film created the Made in Utah program because of the influx of films that local filmmakers were creating or that were showcasing local areas.
“It started from a short-film showcase to showing feature-length films,” Wang said. “Now we have middling films that run between that 20- to 60-minute mark. So, we thought, ‘How do we create space for those stories to be told and celebrated?’”
Each year, Park City Film puts out a call for submissions in February, Wang said.
“The criteria is all the films have to either be made in Utah or were made by a filmmaker from Utah,” she said.
Kirsten Spalding, Park City Film’s membership and program manager, also helped recruit submissions, according to Wang.
“Kirsten is very involved with the film industry outside of Park City Film,” she said. “She is a producer and keeps track of folks and invites people who may not have seen our call for entries.”
One of this year’s films that Spalding found was, “Little Genes,” which has a direct Sundance Film Festival connection — Amy Redford.
“It was totally surprising to see that one come across,” Wang said. “It’s such a unique Utah story about a (Mormon) family who are on a camping trip and trying to come to terms with how to deal with a child who is transgendered. And Amy also acts in it.”
Short film is one of Wang’s favorite formats.
“The diversity of the films is what makes the showcase interesting,” she said. “The smorgasbord effect is what makes short collections compelling. And because it takes less time to make a short than it does a feature, you can kind of tap right into the zeitgeist, within the current conversations.”
Unfortunately, programming short films is difficult, Wang said.
“Back in the day there used to be a short film screened before a feature, but that doesn’t happen very much anymore,” she said. So, really the only place to see shorts, generally, is in a collective at film festivals. That’s why it’s important to build up this program.”
Those who attend the festival screenings are also invited to a post-screening panel discussion and a filmmaker lounge reception, Wang said.
The panel is titled “Who Gets to Belong? Stories of Place, Identity, Access, and Home,” she said.
“This conversation will explore identity, access, place and the communities that shape who feels seen, welcomed and at home,” Wang said.
Panelists include Skye Emerson and Amy Redford, James CutlerAustin Smock and Jessy Fernandez.
The filmmakers lounge will follow the discussion, Wang said.
We’ll have a cash bar, and we invite everyone to come see the films and mix and mingle with the filmmakers,” she said. “You can see their works on screen and then ask them afterward who their sound designer was or ask them to act in your next film.”
Made in Utah Film Showcase
- When: 7 p.m, May 14
- Where: Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Ave.
- Cost: Free
- Web: parkcityfilm.org