Sundance Institute announces summer Local Lens screenings and events

Sundance Institute returns this summer with a slate of free Local Lens screenings and events in Utah. On Thursdays in June and July, Sundance will host free screenings of fiction and nonfiction films that premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The program includes Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary and World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft winner The Territory, Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic winner Cha Cha Real Smooth, Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary winner Fire of Love, as well as Every Day In Kaimukī and Mija, with additional films to be announced later this summer. Sundance will also screen Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, in collaboration with the Coalville and Kamas Valley Branch Libraries as part of their Oceans of Possibilities Summer Reading program.

The summer series will also offer a free event for local documentarians, composers, and editors on how filmmakers can develop strategies to combat extractive modes of storytelling. This artist session will include participation from director Alex Pritz, editor Carlos Rojas Felice, and composer Katya Mihailova of The Territory, the day after the screening.

Additionally, Sundance is partnering with a number of Utah-based organizations to program films and VR experiences during their summer events. At the Living Traditions Festival, Sundance screened several short films and hosted a booth to engage with the community. Coming up this month, Sundance will be an exhibitor at Utah Pride Festival in Salt Lake City, and will show a couple of LGBTQ+ short films in collaboration with the Utah Film Centre. In July, Sundance is returning to the Latino Arts Festival in Park City to present Nuestras Vidas: Latinx Shorts, a curated selection of short films centring on Latinx stories and filmmakers. In August, Sundance will be back at the Craft Lake City DIY Festival showcasing a couple virtual and augmented reality projects from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier section; more details are forthcoming.

This year-round community programming and local collaborations are led by Sundance Institute’s Public Programming & Audience Engagement team, Eva Rinaldi (Director), and Mateó B. Ochoa (Senior Manager). Sundance provides free programming to celebrate independent storytelling, help artists refine their craft and reach new audiences.

“We’re thankful to be in-person showcasing a diverse array of stories, short and feature films, as well as collaborations, to bring unique stories to our loyal Festival goers as well as new audiences,” said Rinaldi. “We are always excited to bring a selection of must-see films from the past Festival, and collaborate with organizations to bring film to existing events that enhances the overall program. We are particularly excited to offer a free documentary artist case study with The Territory for local filmmakers, editors, and composers as a way to inspire and develop local artists.”

Sundance Institute’s Utah Community Program is supported by Principal Sponsor Zions Bank; Major Supporters State of Utah, Utah Division of Arts & Museums, University of Utah Health, Acura, and Adobe; and Community Supporters Salt Lake County; Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) Program; Peggy Bergmann; Summit County Recreation, Arts, and Parks (RAP) Tax; George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation; and Salt Lake City Arts Council.

Official Providers include The Gallivan Centre and Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre.

Find more details on the events on the Sundance Institute’s website.