There’s nothing quite like being a Utahn during the Sundance Film Festival. The 2023 Fest is approaching in less than one week, and we’ve got plenty of benefits for Utah residents, like the Salt Lake City Pass and Locals Package. In addition to these curated passes and packages, our year-round Local Lens program offers members of the Utah community access to free screenings of films that premiered at the Festival.
This year, during the second half of the Festival, we’re thrilled to offer four Local Lens screenings in person, four Best of Fest screenings, and one online Best of Fest screening — all from the 2023 Fest program — for Utah locals. Our Best of Fest Local Lens screenings is a selection of the 2023 Festival award–winning films.
Signing up for these free in-person screenings is as easy as purchasing a single film ticket. Simply sign in to your Festival account, or create a new one on the Festival homepage, and navigate to the single film ticket selection on ticketing page to select a film. Before you secure your ticket, you’ll be prompted to enter your zip code for your free screening. Here are the four Local Lens in-person screenings available exclusively to residents of Utah:
Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out
Tuesday, January 24 | 6:15 p.m.
Grand Theatre | Salt Lake City
Itsy is new in town and her life seems over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin, who believes his parents were abducted by aliens. An aspiring journalist, Itsy decides to write an exposé on Calvin but ends up discovering much more.
Note: This film has open captions. Shot on location in Utah by a Utah filmmaker!
Tuesday, January 24 | 9:30 p.m.
Library Center Theatre | Park City
In a Mexican border town plagued by neglect, corruption, and violence, a frustrated teacher tries a radical new method to break through his students’ apathy and unlock their curiosity, their potential … and maybe even their genius. Based on a true story.
Content Advisory: This film contains mild language and depictions of gang violence.
Wednesday, January 25 | 9 p.m.
Redstone Cinemas – 7 | Park City
Shayda, a brave Iranian mother, finds refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her 6-year-old daughter. Over Persian New Year, they take solace in Nowruz rituals and new beginnings, but when her estranged husband re-enters their lives, Shayda’s path to freedom is jeopardized.
Note: This film has open captions.
Content Advisory: This film contains depictions of intimate partner violence and child endangerment.
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Thursday, January 26 | 6:15 p.m.
Grand Theatre | Salt Lake City
This celebration of Little Richard reveals the Black queer origins of rock ’n’ roll, finally exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music. Through archival and performance footage, the revolutionary icon’s life unspools with all of its switchbacks and contradictions.
Note: This film has audio description.
Best of Fest — Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out
Saturday, January 28 | 9 p.m.
Eccles Theatre | Park City
Itsy is new in town and her life seems over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin, who believes his parents were abducted by aliens. An aspiring journalist, Itsy decides to write an exposé on Calvin but ends up discovering much more.
Note: This film has open captions.
Saturday, January 28 | 6:15 p.m.
Grand Theatre | Salt Lake City
Single mom Flora is at war with her teenage son, petty thief Max. Encouraged by the police to find Max a hobby, she rescues a beat-up guitar from a dumpster and finds that one person’s trash can be a family’s salvation.
Best of Fest — Judy Blume Forever
Sunday, January 29 | 3:00 p.m.
Eccles Theatre | Park City
Logline: The radical honesty of the books by trailblazing author Judy Blume changed the way millions of adolescent readers understood themselves, their sexuality, and what it meant to grow up, but also led to critical battles against book banning and censorship.
Note: This film has audio description.
Content Advisory: This film contains mild language, discussions of sex and intimacy.
Best of Fest — Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
Sunday, January 29 | 3:15 p.m.
Grand Theatre | Salt Lake City
The improbable tale of a short kid from a Canadian army base who became the darling of 1980s Hollywood — only to find the course of his life altered by a stunning diagnosis. What happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease?
Best of Fest [Online] — Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out
Available to watch until January 29 at 11:55 p.m.
Get your promo code to access the film.
For in-person screenings, please submit an accommodation request to arrange for an audio description or assistive listening device at your screening time/location. This assists our Accessibility team with ensuring enough devices are available.
Sundance Institute’s Utah Community Program is supported by Principal Sponsor Zions Bank; Major Supporters State of Utah, University of Utah Health, Acura, and Adobe; and Community Supporters Salt Lake County; Salt Lake County Zoo; Arts and Parks (ZAP) Program; Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement; Peggy Bergmann; Summit County Recreation, Arts, and Parks (RAP) Tax; George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation; and Salt Lake City Arts Council.
