Photographer Credit: Jonathan Hickerson
Expanded Summer Film Series Showcases Recent Festival Favorites, Including Get Out, RBG, Hearts Beat Loud and Eighth Grade
Offscreen: Visiting Filmmakers, Games, Contests and a Vote for Final Series Screening at sundance.org/utah
Park City, UT — Summer has finally arrived, which means it’s time for the return of Utah’s outdoor movie tradition, now in its 22nd year! The nonprofit Sundance Institute will once again celebrate the season and Utah’s natural beauty with free screenings of eleven Sundance Film Festival favorites, taking place in Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, St. George and, new this year, Coalville. The screenings will also feature special guests, fun activities, delicious food and many surprises.
“I can’t think of a better way to spend the summer than sharing these great films made by talented artists with our friends and neighbors, all while surrounded by our state’s natural beauty,” said Betsy Wallace, Managing Director and CFO of Sundance Institute. “We’re proud of our year-round partnership with the state of Utah and always look forward to this opportunity to express our appreciation for our home state and the people we share it with.”
The series starts on July 3, with a special showing of Get Out at Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. The Academy Award-winning film made its world premiere as a surprise screening at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival before going on to become a worldwide phenomenon. The series continues in Salt Lake with an advance screening of the 2019 Festival’s family-friendly film Abe prior to its theatrical release, before moving to Park City on July 12 with another standout from this year’s Festival, Top End Wedding. Other highlights of the series include 2018’s critically acclaimed Eighth Grade; the classic Festival favorite The Cockettes, featuring an in-person Q&A with co-directors Bill Weber and David Weissman; and the Summer Series’ first-ever screening in Coalville, with 2019’s Alfred P. Sloan Prize-winning The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Of the ten selected films, three made their world premieres at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; eight of the ten films played in the last three Festivals. A full lineup appears below.
Back once again, by popular demand, the Utah community will be able to vote to select the final film of the series, either online at sundance.org/utah or via onsite balloting at screenings through mid-August. The nominees will be chosen from a selection of classic Festival films from women filmmakers, including Leave No Trace, The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Little Miss Sunshine.
Films start at dusk (approximately 9:00 p.m.), with gates opening and activities beginning at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. All screenings are free and open to the public (no tickets needed) with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnic baskets and blankets or low-back lawn chairs to outdoor screenings.
“Each year, we look for more ways to connect people all over Utah with our work,” said LaraLee Ownby, Assistant Director of Utah Community Programs for Sundance Institute. “We’re thrilled to continue the Summer Series’ expansion this year and bring these recent Festival favorites, many directed by filmmakers from underrepresented groups, to entertain and hopefully inspire a new generation of art-lovers throughout the state.”
The Institute will again collaborate with other Utah-based organizations for the Summer Film Series, including DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival, the Kimball Arts Festival and Ogden Amphitheater.
Zions Bank returns as our Principal Sponsor to present this year’s screening Series, along with our Major Supporter the State of Utah and our Community Supporters Salt Lake County Economic Development Department; Peggy Bergmann; Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) Program; Summit County Recreation, Arts, and Parks (RAP) Tax; Salt Lake City Arts Council; Promontory Foundation; and Red Butte Garden.
For more information about Sundance Institute programming for Utah residents and to vote for the Utah Community Choice Film visit sundance.org/utah.
|
Wednesday, July 3 ∙ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre ∙ Salt Lake City |
|
Get Out / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jordan Peele) — Now that Chris and Rose have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway. At first, Chris reads her family’s behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship. But as the weekend progresses, a series of disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, Lakeith Stanfield. Sweet treats available from San Diablo Churros. |
|
|
Tuesday, July 9 ∙ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre ∙ Salt Lake City |
|
Abe / Brazil (Director: Fernando Grostein Andrade, Screenwriters: Lameece Issaq, Jacob Kader) — The Israeli Jewish side of his family calls him Avram. The Palestinian Muslim side Ibrahim. His first-generation American agnostic lawyer parents call him Abraham. But the 12-year-old kid from Brooklyn who loves food and cooking prefers, well, Abe. Just Abe. Cast: Noah Schnapp, Seu Jorge Mário da Silva, Mark Margolis, Dagmara Dominczyk, Arian Moayed, Tom Mardirosian. Delicious meals available from Spice Kitchen in support of local entrepreneurs in our refugee community. |
|
|
Friday, July 12 ∙ The Ray Theatre ∙ Park City |
|
Top End Wedding / Australia (Director: Wayne Blair, Screenwriters: Joshua Tyler, Miranda Tapsell) Lauren and Ned are engaged, they are in love, and they have just 10 days to find Lauren’s mother (who has gone AWOL somewhere in the remote far north of Australia), reunite her parents, and pull off their dream wedding. Cast: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox, Huw Higginson, Ursula Yovich, Shari Sebbens. Indoor screening. Venue opens at 6pm, screening starts at 7pm. |
|
|
Wednesday, July 17 ∙ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre ∙ Salt Lake City |
|
Eighth Grade / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Bo Burnham) — Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year — before she begins high school. Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton. |
|
|
Friday, July 19 ∙ Ledges Event Center ∙ Coalville |
|
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind / United Kingdom (Director and Screenwriter: Chiwetel Ejiofor) — Against all the odds, a 13-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maxwell Simba, Lily Banda, Noma Dumezweni, Aïssa Maïga, Joseph Marcell. Summit County Power Works will be hosting a Light Swap where you can switch in your old light bulbs for energy and money-saving LED light bulbs for free! There will also be games and a raffle drawing for prizes. |
|
|
Friday, July 26 ∙ City Park ∙ Park City |
|
RBG / U.S.A. (Directors: Betsy West, Julie Cohen) — An intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers show how her early legal battles changed the world for women. Now this 84-year-old does push-ups as easily as she writes blistering dissents that have earned her the title “Notorious RBG.” Sweet treats available from Waffle Love. |
|
|
Monday, July 29 ∙ Ogden Amphitheater ∙ Ogden |
|
Hearts Beat Loud / U.S.A. (Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch) — In Red Hook, Brooklyn, a father and daughter become an unlikely songwriting duo in the last summer before she leaves for college. Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner, Toni Collette. Film preceded by a screening of the short film The Saint of Dry Creek. Shown in collaboration with Ogden Amphitheater. Venue opens at 6:30pm, screening starts at 7:30pm. |
|
|
Wednesday, July 31 ∙ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre ∙ Salt Lake |
|
The Cockettes / U.S.A. (Directors: Bill Weber, David Weissman) — A flamboyant ensemble of gender-bending hippies, The Cockettes created a series of LSD-fueled musicals in early 1970s San Francisco. These all-singing, all-dancing extravaganzas featured outrageous costumes, rebellious sexuality and exuberant chaos. In-person Q&A with co-directors Bill Weber and David Weissman to precede the screening. |
|
|
Friday, August 2 ∙ City Park ∙ Park City |
|
Life, Animated / U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — Owen Suskind, an autistic boy who could not speak for years, slowly emerged from his isolation by immersing himself in Disney animated movies. Using these films as a roadmap, he reconnects with his loving family and the wider world in this emotional coming-of-age story. Shown in collaboration with Kimball Arts Festival. Sweet treats available from San Diablo Churros. |
|
|
Friday, August 9 ∙ Dolores Doré Eccles Fine Arts Center ∙ St. George |
|
Science Fair / U.S.A. (Directors: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster) — Nine high school students from around the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and of course, hormones, on their journey to compete at the international science fair. Facing off against 1,700 of the smartest, quirkiest teens from 78 different countries, only one will be named Best in Fair. Indoor screening. Q&A with co-directors Christina Costantini and Darren Foster to follow screening. Venue opens at 6pm, screening starts at 7pm. Shown in collaboration with DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival. |
|
|
Wednesday, August 21 ∙ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre ∙ Salt Lake City |
|
Utah Community Choice Film — For the seventh year, Sundance Institute wants YOU to select the last film of the Summer Film Series. Through mid-August, vote onsite at screenings or at sundance.org/utah from a selection of Sundance films by female filmmakers. The winning film will be announced in late August. Sweet treats available from Crumbl Cookies. |
|
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and media to create and thrive. The Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Sorry to Bother You, Eighth Grade, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Hereditary, RBG, Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Big Sick, Top of the Lake, Winter’s Bone, Dear White People, Brooklyn, Little Miss Sunshine, 20 Feet From Stardom, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, I’m Poppy, America to Me, Leimert Park, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
# # #
Download the PDF of this news release
Editor’s Note: Photos and credit information for all films screening in the Summer Film Series can be found at sundance.org/photos. All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of one-time reproduction and only when including proper image credits and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration or reproduction of logos and photos is strictly prohibited.
