2024 Impact Report
With your help, Utah Film Center directly served 29,358 Utahns in 2024, including students, teachers, artists, fellow nonprofits, and devoted film enthusiasts, with nearly 750,000 Utahns reached through statewide programming!
When we put together this Impact Report for the year, two themes jumped out at us: our growth in supporting Utah’s independent filmmakers, and how our community film events and resources continue to inspire curiosity, community, and belonging.
We believe that Utah artists have powerful stories to tell—stories that are steeped in the geography and culture of this place we call home. We also believe that Utah should be exporting its art—not its artists. While we have the Artist Foundry, which is a robust program dedicated to building professional skills and a community of Utah filmmakers, connecting Utah filmmakers to Utah audiences is also an incredibly valuable component of the work that we do.
Over the course of the year, we celebrated student filmmaker creativity through the Tumbleweeds Student Film Competition and as shorts before some of our family programs. We also curated multiple exhibition opportunities—in our four flagship film series, in our festivals, and in events around Salt Lake—that connect filmmakers with audiences and highlight the amazing artistic, technical, and educational work being done here in Utah.
In all, we shared the work of nearly 40 Utah-based filmmakers with Utah audiences.
One major item not covered in this report is our progress in acquiring a permanent home. This time last year, we laid out our vision for a new home. After a great deal of diligence, conversations, and site visits, we are so proud to announce that we closed on a building in May of 2024, moved into the space in August, are about to undergo film industry-specific renovations, and hope to open to the public in the spring of 2025! You can follow our journey in the news section of our website.
Importantly, our building will be a physical foundation for our film exhibition, arts education and artist support programs and will strengthen our film ecosystem. It will expand opportunities to champion Utah filmmakers, share their work with Utahns, and be a shared community space for creation, exploration, and art.
Thank you for the many ways you make our work possible. We can’t wait to share our new home and a new iteration of our programs with you in 2025!
Mariah Mellus
Executive Director
Connecting Communities through Powerful Film Events
Series include Through The Lens; Black, Bold, & Brilliant; Summer Outdoor Film Series; Utah Filmmaker Showcase; and Exhibition and Curation for Hire
By championing authentic and diverse representation, Utah Film Center’s events tap into the wealth of talents, experiences, and ideas from different communities. They connect audiences with storytellers, enrich our cultural landscape, promote a deeper understanding of human experiences, and foster greater empathy.
An anniversary screening of Church and State, 10 years after a federal judge overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, is an example of a Utah Film Center event that left audiences profoundly transformed.
The packed theater included members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. Holly Tuckett, one of the filmmakers, spoke of her experience at this screening:
"The impact of your film is only felt when you see it with an audience. With streaming, people watch it once and don’t revisit it. There is no feedback loop with the audience anymore. But film is a community medium. Having opportunities to screen it, as a filmmaker —you connect with an audience feeling your film, but you also have time afterwards to discuss it with them. To hear someone be affected by what you made, to thank you, to tell you that the film changed their perspective or captures something important in people’s lives… . That’s the pay. Years after its release, the film still touches people.”
Russell Roots, Utah Film Center’s director of film exhibition, added:
“It was the first time I saw so many people deeply touched by any film I have personally programmed. I've seen and shown a lot of films in the past two years, but I've never seen one that had that impact. It really revealed the power of filmmaking that also happened to center a hyper local story that had national influence. Those moments are very rare.”
What audience members have said about other Utah Film Center events:
“...I feel connected to the other viewers through this shared experience [at the Summer Outdoor Film Series], connected to my neighborhood, and [it] makes me feel like I get to benefit from the work local organizations are doing in the community.”
FILM EXHIBITION FAST FACTS
6,300+ Attendees
6,300+ community members attended our 129 film screening events across Utah in FY24
Diverse filmmaker representation
Of the 129 films, 34 directors identify as BIPOC, 64 as female, 46 are based in Utah
Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award
Exhibition director, Russell Roots, has received “Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award by the Utah Cultural Alliance” in 2024 for Black, Bold & Brilliant programming
Best Of Utah
Winner: City Weekly’s Best Of Utah “Best Neighborhood Gathering” Summer Outdoor Film Series. Attendance grew 40%.
Celebrating Kids At Tumbleweeds
TUMBLEWEEDS FILM FESTIVAL FOR KIDS | APRIL 20, 2024
VIRIDIAN EVENT CENTER IN WEST JORDAN, UTAH
STUDENT FILM COMPETITION CEREMONY | APRIL 19, 2024
FESTIVAL FIELD TRIPS | APRIL 17-19, 2024
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS | APRIL 28-MAY 31, 2024
Annually in April each year, Utah Film Center presents its Tumbleweeds Film Festival For Kids, an event focused on bringing high-quality educational film and media to kids through free public screenings, festival field trips, workshops, special guest presentations and panels, and a student film competition. This year, amazing partnerships with Salt Lake County and its Library Services, City of West Jordan, Utah Education Network, and Utah PTA, ensured that all events (except for the workshops) were free to families!
This year’s festival also marked an increase in thoughtful measures to ensure accessibility for all students during the 2024 Tumbleweeds Field Trips. Utah Film Center’s media arts education team collaborated with an ASL Interpreter and the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind to develop best practices for film screenings with appropriate accommodations.
As a result, at Tumbleweeds Film Festival For Kids in April of 2024, Utah Film Center presented two field trips with special accessibility accommodations, including:
- A sensory-friendly screening, designed for youth on the autism spectrum. This included lighting and sound adjustments, seating flexibility, and assisted listening devices. All films are shown with closed captions and descriptive audio.
- An ASL-interpreted screening, designed for the Utah School of the Deaf and Blind. This included on-site ASL interpretation, on-screen pre-recorded ASL interpretation, and assisted listening devices. All films are shown with closed captions and descriptive audio.
Over 400 students participated in these screenings!
“Wow. You have no idea how excited and happy our students are to be here on a field trip designed specifically for our needs. We have never been on a field trip before because we can't guarantee all accessibility needs. Thank you for providing these from registration to arriving at the site to the end of the field trip!"
Other attendees of the Festival shared the following:
“Kids are exposed to other environments and realities through film. I think it expands their vision and understanding of this complex and diverse world.”
One parent shared of the Film Competition Experience:
“This is our second year attending the festival and I can’t say enough about how well organized and fun this festival is. It is such an amazing experience for any young filmmaker, and the next two days are filled with hands-on filmmaking workshops for kids. If you’re in Utah, and you have a young filmmaker in your house then definitely look out for this festival next year. I couldn’t be more proud that she took a chance, and put her art out there..also that it was received with laughs and cheers from the audience.”
TUMBLEWEEDS FILM FESTIVAL FOR KIDS FAST FACTS
11 Workshops
including Character Design For Animation, Making Movies Look Cool Through Cinematography, and Audio Illusion: Creating Powerful Moments in Unexpected Ways
17 Films Presented
17 films featured, including 4 features and 13 shorts
49 Student Films Submitted
49 student films were submitted to the 2nd Annual Tumbleweeds Film Competition For Kids, presented in partnership with Utah Education Network
2,469 Total Attendees
2,469 total attendees across all Festival programs
Supporting Independent Film Projects
“I don't know if we would have reached our fundraising goals without utilizing the Fiscal Sponsorship program of the Utah Film Center. Their belief in our film and our partnership with them, provided a safe and accountable place for many people to help us out, that wouldn't have done so otherwise. The process was easy, and never added much burden to our already overwhelming production schedule. It was because of the good people at the Utah Film Center that we were able to tell this important story that honors 17 fallen Marines, and their Gold Star Families. We are extremely grateful, and hope we have the opportunity to work with them on our next film.”
Since 2008, Utah Film Center’s fiscal sponsorship program has been integral in facilitating tax donations for independent films. In the last year alone, independent filmmakers from around the world received over $18 million in donations through this program by utilizing Utah Film Center’s 501(c)(3) status when fundraising.
Fiscal sponsorship is just one way that the Film Center helps democratize the filmmaking process and is a critical component of our support for independent filmmakers. With the help of fiscal sponsorship, Utah Film Center connects audiences to film projects that leave them profoundly transformed.
Award-Winning fiscally sponsored films in 2024 include:
Make Peace or Die
- 2024 Veteran’s Voice Award – GI Film Festival San Diego
- 2024 Best Documentary Feature – Circle Cinema Film Festival
Porcelain War
- 2024 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Filmmaking
Plan C
- Anthem Award Gold Winner
- 2024 Webby Winner-Public Service, Social Impact & Activism
- 2024 Bronze Telly Award
Utah Film Center also fiscally sponsored events and artistic community spaces, including:
- Strengthening Arts and Film in Pakistan
- Kanab Film Fest
- TedXParkCity
- Vista House (CA)
FISCAL SPONSORSHIP FAST FACTS
451 Active Fiscally Sponsored Films
76 New Projects
76 new projects began in 2024
29 Utah-based Projects
29 Utah-based projects began in 2024
$18 Million in Filmmaker support
Over $18 million dollars worth of fiscal sponsorship funds processed in FY2024
Providing Media Arts Education To Students & Educators
“I teach how film can be a means for them to learn how to express themselves in the world and that the camera can then be a tool for empowerment.”
In May 2024, Utah Film Center’s Media Arts Education Team completed their annual Rural Utah Tour, presented by Julie Gale, director of the Film Center’s education program, Logan Meyers, education manager, and three teaching artists: Joseph Buenning, Emily Nichols, and William King.
This year, as part of the tour, Utah Film Center’s media arts education team visited three schools: Bryce Valley Elementary in Tropic, UT, Boulder Elementary in Boulder, UT, and Flaming Gorge Elementary in Flaming Gorge, UT; and presented four of our Free Classroom Workshops: “The Movie Watchers Club,” “The Making of Animated Films,” “How to Write a Screenplay,” and “Introduction to Stop Motion Animation.”
The Rural Utah Tour is an effort to increase access to media arts education in communities around Utah that typically are not reached by these types of opportunities. Made possible by a generous National Endowment for the Arts grant, Utah Film Center’s Rural Tours bring all the supplies, technology, and expertise necessary to explore media arts concepts directly to rural classrooms around the state—all free of charge.
In discussing the value of visits by professionals and artists to her rural school, Teacher Leader and Administrator, Elizabeth Julian, said – “I had been in touch with Julie [at the Film Center]… I have made it a big part of my goals of bringing in people. When you have a small rural school, the students are set with the experiences and expertise of the educators in their building. There’s a lot more that I don’t have the skills to share with them. So to bring people in that can provide things, like the Utah Film Center… It’s all enrichment things….”
With increased prevalence of streaming services, social media, YouTube, and AI, accessible by anyone with a cellphone, it is more important than ever that all students, regardless of location, have access to quality education which emphasizes the importance of media literacy, responsible content creation, the process of quality storytelling, and the creativity and confidence to use art and technology to ethically express themselves or find a viable, robust career path.
Teachers agree that Utah Film Center’s Media Arts Education program is an incredibly valuable educational tool needed in classrooms:
“I have a reluctant learner that has continued his engagement with the presentation. He is writing a full story to go with his drawing.”
"Your awesome resources at [Utah Film Center] make learning real for students! Thanks for all you do!"
Media arts programs are free and include: classroom workshops taught by artists, free standards-aligned age-appropriate films and resources, field trips, teacher professional development
An astronaut and alien in space: a short film created by students in a stop motion animation workshop this past school year
EDUCATION FAST FACTS
42 School Districts Reached
42 of 42 School Districts Reached, 458 Schools Served
793 hours of teacher Professional Development
The Media Arts Education team provided 793 hours of teacher professional development, compared to 81 hours in 2023!
854 Teachers and 20,238 Students Served
854 teachers were supported with our Media Arts Education programming
1,662 total Instructional Hours
Media Arts Education teachers provided 1,662 hours of in-classroom instruction
Supporting Utah-based Filmmakers
Shortly before the Utah Film Center’s 20th anniversary in 2022, staff began to have a series of conversations with filmmakers about how streaming, COVID, the SAG-AFTRA and director strikes changed the independent filmmaking landscape, and what resources would help them through industry transitions. From these conversations, the Film Center redesigned the Artist Foundry—a collaborative community for independent filmmakers—to support Utah’s filmmaking community.
Artist Foundry
Thanks in large part to Utah filmmaker feedback and engagement in recent years, the Film Center received funding from a Salt Lake City ARPA grant to accelerate professional development for filmmakers. In the last year, the Film Center hired Amanda Madden, an experienced filmmaker and community builder, as the Artist Foundry manager.
With Amanda’s guidance, the Artist Foundry offerings have become extensive and robust. In the past year, the Film Center has been able to offer:
- Workshops focused on the business and administrative side of filmmaking that help filmmakers get their projects to market and connected to audiences;
- Panel discussions with industry leaders, including topics such as current trends & the future of distribution;
- Meet the Filmmaker events, where visiting filmmakers discuss their craft with Utah filmmakers. In example, Margie Ratliff, director of SUBJECT, encouraged filmmakers to incorporate best practices regarding the treatment of documentary film subjects;
- Support for several local film festivals, which connect filmmakers to audiences and distributors, including Wasatch Picture Show, Post Credits Film Showcase, Zion Independent Film Festival, and Wasatch Mountain Film Festival; and
- Utah Filmmaker Showcases, which are curated collections of films by Utah filmmakers, connecting them with Utah audiences.
Utah Documentary Association
Over the past year, the Film Center has also worked closely to support the Utah Documentary Association (UDA), eventually leading to the UDA becoming an affiliate of the Film Center. This formalized support allows the Utah Film Center and Utah Documentary Association to advise each other on resources specific to the interests of documentary filmmakers, including: workshops, discussions, co-promotion, and cross-curation opportunities.
Filmmaker Incubator
From our close connection with filmmakers, staff also heard that many would utilize a film industry-specific coworking space. This is in large part why nearly 40% of the Film Center’s new building—once renovated—will be devoted to providing team spaces, production offices, editing suites, educational spaces, and flex spaces for artist development.
Utah Film Center is proud of its efforts to strategically and exponentially increase professional support for Utah’s filmmakers. This work increases opportunities to meaningfully connect filmmakers to funding, distribution, and audiences and, ultimately, increases Utah’s ability to retain its homegrown filmmaking and artistic community.
“I think Utah has a plethora of talented people and having an incoming space for them to come together no matter their background or their experience so that they can learn and advance in their career path is needed. Filmmaking is a tough industry to break into and it can be incredibly isolating for a lot of new artists out there. With Utah having such a large impact in film already, I think this is the kind of thing to keep the impact going strong.”
FILMMAKER SUPPORT FAST FACTS
79 Current Artist Foundry Members
5 Collections of Shorts by Utah Filmmakers were showcased
Utah filmmakers were showcased in screenings of five collections of shorts in 2024
35 Utah filmmakers of all ages were represented at Tumbleweeds and Utah Queer Film Festival
536 Utah Content Creators Served Through Artist Foundry Programs
Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Storytelling at Utah Queer Film Festival
UTAH QUEER FILM FESTIVAL | OCTOBER 25-27, 2024
ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IN DOWNTOWN SLC
ONLINE FILMS | OCTOBER 27-NOVEMBER 3, 2024
Utah Queer Film Festival rang in its new name in style in 2024. Formerly Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival, Utah Film Center’s premiere LGBTQIA+ film celebration has been part of the Utah scene for 21 years. The new name signified an effort to increase inclusion and accessibility to the event, welcoming Queer individuals from all identities to join in on the celebration and see their lives on the silver screen.
With both local and international features and shorts, Artist Foundry hosted workshops, unforgettable local performances, and insightful Q&A’s, Utah Queer Film Festival was a smashing success. This year was especially special, as Utah welcomed 21 filmmakers onsite to join audiences in discussion, camaraderie, and celebration. Utah Queer Film Festival celebrated a weekend jam packed full of amazing storytelling, but also its ability to connect filmmakers with audiences in an intimate setting not easily found, signifying a special and unique festival experience.
The following statement from a visiting director signifies the value of this type of connection:
“This festival is the best opportunity in the entire state right now to showcase and collaborate with other filmmakers, in a subgenre that is notoriously difficult to make and promote in this region. The existence of this festival proves that there is a small but powerful group of people who are committed to telling the stories that mean most to me, and that gives me a lot of hope.”
“To myself, as a still somewhat baby trans person, seeing my own experiences reflected in the stories of others is empowering in a way that’s just really hard to fully articulate. But personally, it’s that reflection that provides further clarity and introspection for myself. For Utah as a whole, my hope is that it’s one more light that those in the community can find and appreciate.”
UQFF FAST FACTS
38 films shown, 21 Filmmakers on site
7 Utah-based films screened
16 international films screened representing 4 continents
1044 attendees
Providing Access to Fine Arts in our Community
Through partnerships, Utah Film Center increases access to fine arts for communities throughout Utah. For example, the Film Center’s partnerships with KUER/RadioWest for Through The Lens and KRCL/RadioACTive for Black, Bold & Brilliant are critical for engaging all Utahns in conversations presented through films. Through these partnerships, Utah Film Center’s programs reach nearly one million Utahns each year.
HotShot, a film in our Through The Lens series, was selected for the conversation it would facilitate, as well as its content and captivating visual storytelling. The film immersed audiences in and among wildfires and wildland firefighting crews. The reality of wildfires is a constant in public Western consciousness and is an issue that resonates with statewide audiences. As of October 2024, over 960 wildfires burned in Utah; smoke from fires in the Pacific Northwest settled over Utah for months out of the year.
The film and discussions with director Gabriel Kirkpatrick Mann hosted by Doug Fabrizio from RadioWest encouraged audiences and listeners to think about the history of wildfire fighting, including how changes in land management have exacerbated the intensity of the fires, how elite crews work to contain fires (but often don’t receive benefits or support commensurate with the public duties they perform), and about the existence of the wildfire industrial complex.
Utah Film Center and RadioWest teams aim for a common goal in selecting films for Through The Lens by asking: how can film foster curiosity, conversation, and connection between the filmmaker and Utah audiences? HotShot met this objective:
“A high standard we hold when producing a show is the conversation with the guest. It is important that we reach the audience in a way that generates conversation…The film, Hotshot, brought up various viewpoints that really resonate with our audience especially after experiencing fires across the state: Indigenous ways of managing fire, a woman at the center of a culture that is usually focused on men, the history of how fire is managed, which is often an argument between old school ways of forest management and new ways… and a modern day argument about what role climate change plays in all of this….”
The in person screening of HotShot attracted a packed theater of general audiences and wildland firefighters from across the Wasatch front and back. Due to the filmmaker interview on RadioWest, Utahns around the state continue to participate in this important conversation.
Programing objectives are similar for KRCL/RadioACTive when it comes to Black, Bold & Brilliant:
“RadioACTive is always looking for unique ways to talk about issues in the community, from justice reform to pop culture representation. That led us to create the Black, Bold & Brilliant series with the Utah Film Center in 2020… RadioACTive hosts a [BBB] preview panel before each screening. This allows us to bring more diverse voices and viewpoints to the microphone, extending the reach of the series in the community… It's an opportunity to problem-solve together, and the stories that quality filmmakers tell make that possible. Utah Film Center knows its audience and how to comfort or confront them with film. Our partnership with the Center is incredibly valuable to us for the same reasons, and we look forward to more collaborations in the future. Now, that's good trouble!”
We are grateful to KUER/RadioWest and KRCL/RadioACTive for their invaluable partnerships that help us extend our reach and ensure ALL Utahns have access to enriching art opportunities and community conversations. We also appreciate the following partners who helped us connect to diverse communities this past year:
- Alta Community Enrichment
- Burning Sissy Valley
- BYU
- Cutthroat Grip, Lighting and Stage
- eBay
- Edison House
- Girl Scouts of Utah
- Horizonte Instruction & Training Center
- Kiln Salt Lake City
- KRCL
- KUER
- Leicester Productions
- PBS Utah
- SheMoney
- Redman Movies and Stories/Camera Jack
- Rural Utah Project
- Salt Lake CIty Public Lands
- Salt Lake County Library
- Slow Food Utah
- Tracy Aviary
- Under the Umbrella
- University of Utah Health
- Utah Arts Alliance
- Utah Association for Career and Technical Education
- Utah Division of Indian Affairs
- Utah Documentary Association
- Utah Education Network (UEN)
- Utah Foster Care
- Utah PTA
- Utah State Board of Education
- Utah State Historical Society
- WZRD Media
