Utahns will get a taste of the Sundance Film Festival’s most compelling movies, for free, at a series of summer screenings in July.
The nine screenings in Sundance’s Local Lens series — six in the Salt Lake City area, three in Park City — will run from Wednesday, July 17, to Sunday, July 21, at indoor and outdoor venues, the Sundance Institute announced Thursday.
Eight of the movies debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The ninth film, an audience choice pick, is an Oscar-winning documentary from 2013. Sundance Institute is also putting on an event for filmmakers at all levels to network and learn how to pitch their projects effectively.
Admission is free to all screenings. Tickets can be reserved online, at sundance.org/local-lens.
Here is the lineup, with locations and showtimes:
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” • Wednesday, July 17, 9 p.m., Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre (outdoor), 2188 Red Butte Canyon Road, Salt Lake City • In this documentary, writer-director Jeff Zimbalist follows a daredevil couple trying to save their careers and relationship by climbing the world’s last super-skyscraper to perform an acrobatic stunt on its spire.
(Netflix) An image from "Daughters," directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, screening Thursday, July 18, 2024, at The Ray Theatre in Park City, as part of Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“Daughters” • Thursday, July 18, 7 p.m., The Ray Theatre (indoor), 1768 Park Ave., Park City • Four young girls prepare for a “Daddy Daughter Dance” with their fathers, all incarcerated in a Washington, D.C., jail, in this documentary, directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae.
(Shane Mahood | Amazon MGM Studios) Elliott (Maisy Stella, left) talks to an older version of herself (Aubrey Plaza) in director Megan Park's comedy "My Old Ass," screening Thursday, July 18, 2024, at Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City, as part of Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“My Old Ass” • Thursday, July 18, 9 p.m., Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre (outdoor), 2188 Red Butte Canyon Road, Salt Lake City • Elliott (Maisy Stella), while doing mushrooms during the summer before college, meets her future self (Aubrey Plaza) in this comedy by writer-director Megan Park.
(Will Stone | Vertical Entertainment) Tommy Dewey and Melissa Barerra star in director Caroline Lindy's "Your Monster," screening Friday, July 19, 2024, at The Ray Theatre in Park City, as part of Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“Your Monster” • Friday, July 19, 7 p.m., The Ray Theatre (indoor), 1768 Park Ave., Park City • A soft-spoken actress (Melissa Barrera, from “Abigail”) is in a decline when she meets a scary but charming monster (Tommy Dewey) in her closet — which helps her reclaim her voice in writer-director Caroline Lindy’s horror comedy.
(Emily Kassie | National Geographic) Ed Archie NoiseCat appears in the documentary "Sugarcane," directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, screening Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the Megaplex Theatres at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, as part of the Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“Sugarcane” • Saturday, July 20, 5:30 p.m., Megaplex Theatres at Valley Fair Mall (indoor), 3620 S. 2400 West, West Valley City • Directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie investigate abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school, sparking a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve in British Columbia, in this documentary.
(Focus Features) Izaac Wang stars in director Sean Wang's "Dìdi (弟弟)," screening Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the Megaplex Theatres at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, as part of the Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“Dìdi (弟弟)” • Saturday, July 20, 8:30 p.m., Megaplex Theatres at Valley Fair Mall (indoor), 3620 S. 2400 West, West Valley City • Writer-director Sean Wang’s coming-of-age story centers on a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy (Izaac Wang) in 2008, in the last month of summer before high school. Also starring Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hua.
(Sundance Institute) Musical pioneer Brian Eno is the subject of director Gary Hustwit's "generative" documentary, "Eno," screening Saturday, July 20, 2024, at City Park in Park City, as part of the Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“Eno” • Saturday, July 20, 9 p.m., City Park (outdoor), 1400 Sullivan Road, Park City • Director Gary Hustwit (“Helvetica,” “Objectified”) profiles musician and artist Brian Eno — known for producing work by David Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads, as well as pioneering ambient music — in a “generative documentary” that festival programmers say is different every time it’s shown.
(Rob Baker Ashton | Sundance Institute) Bilal Hasna plays an Arab drag queen in "Layla," directed by Amrou Al-Kadhi, screening Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas in Salt Lake City, as part of the Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“Layla” • Saturday, July 20, 11 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinemas (indoor), 111 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City • In writer-director Amrou Al-Kadhi’s drama, Layla (Bilal Hasna) is a struggling Arab drag queen who falls in love, losing and finding themself in a life-changing relationship. The filmmaker, Amrou Al-Kadhi, will introduce the film and take part in a Q&A after the screening.
(Sundance Institute) Backup singers record in a moment from director Morgan Neville's 2013 documentary "20 Feet From Stardom," screening Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Gallivan Center in Salt Lake City, as part of the Sundance Institute's "Local Lens" series.
“20 Feet From Stardom” • Sunday, July 21, 7 p.m., Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway, 165 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City • The Local Lens audience choice is director Morgan Neville’s Oscar-winning 2013 documentary that profiles backup singers, the talent behind some of music’s most legendary performers — with some of them, like Darlene Love and Sheryl Crow, becoming famous themselves. (Note: The time and location has changed.)
Sundance Institute also is hosting an “artist event,” Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m. at Megaplex Theatres at Valley Fair Mall, 3620 S. 2400 West, West Valley City. Titled “Filmmaking Deep Dive: Honing Your Pitch With Industry Insights,” the panel is designed for filmmakers to learn about the pitching process and network with other creatives. A few will get a chance to pitch their projects to a panel of experts: writer-director Amrou Al-Kadhi (“Layla”), producer Mali Elfman (“birth/rebirth”) and producer Donna Gruneich (“The Bad Kids”).
Also at the artist event, Basil Tsiokos, a senior programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, will discuss best practices for a creative pitch, and Tsiokos and Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival and the institute’s public programming, will take part in a Q&A session. Registration required; the event is geared toward directors, producers, editors and other artists, but is also open to the public with an RSVP.
