Park City, UT — Grab a blanket, pack a picnic and bring your friends to enjoy free screenings of Sundance Film Festival favorites under the stars in Salt Lake City and Park City this summer. Sundance Institute today announced six of the seven films that will be featured at the 2015 Sundance Institute Summer Film Series. In a cult classic comedy faceoff, the Utah community can vote online at sundance.org/utah or onsite at screenings through August 15 for Clerks, Super Troopers or Wet Hot American Summer to be the seventh film in the series.
Now in its 18th year, the series kicks off July 1 at Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre and July 10 at City Park in Park City. Films start at dusk (approximately 9:00 p.m.). All screenings are free and open to the public, no ticket needed, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnic baskets and blankets or low-back lawn chairs. All films have screened at the Sundance Film Festival or been supported by the Institute’s other year-round programs for independent artists.
Kara Cody, Senior Manager of Utah Community Programs for Sundance Institute, said, “The free outdoor Summer Film Series brings our friends and neighbors together to enjoy some of our Festival’s most lively and captivating independent films in the inspired outdoor setting of summer in Utah. The Institute is thrilled to present the Series to the local community we call home.”
The Institute will again collaborate with other Utah-based organizations for the Summer Film Series, including Recycle Utah, the Kimball Arts Festival and Park City Recreation. This year’s screenings are supported by Principal Sponsor Zions Bank, Major Sponsor Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Community Supporters Salt Lake County Economic Development; Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) Program; Summit County Recreation, Arts, and Parks (RAP) Tax; Salt Lake City Arts Council; and 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. Join the conversation on social media with #sundance.
Wednesday, July 1 • Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
God Help the Girl / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stuart Murdoch) — This musical from Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian is about some messed up boys and girls and the music they made. Cast: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Pierre Boulanger, Cora Bissett. Winner of a Special Jury Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Wednesday, July 8 • Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN / Sweden, United Kingdom (Director: Malik Bendjelloul) — Rodriguez was the greatest ‘70s U.S. rock icon who never was. Hailed as the greatest recording artist of his generation he disappeared into oblivion – rising again from the ashes in a completely different context many miles away. Winner of an Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and an Academy Award.
Friday, July 10 • City Park
Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans’ effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world. Presented in collaboration with Recycle Utah.
Wednesday, July 15 • Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
In Football We Trust / U.S.A. (Directors: Tony Vainuku, Erika Cohn) — Set in the Salt Lake Valley, four young Polynesian football players struggle to overcome gang violence and poverty as they enter the high-stakes world of recruiting, competitive athletics and family pressures.
Friday, July 31 • City Park
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under, in this tale of a six year old named Hushpuppy, who lives with her daddy at the edge of theworld. Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry. Presented in collaboration with the Kimball Arts Festival, as part of the Festival After Dark program. Winner of a Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and a four-time Academy Award nominee.
Friday, August 14 • City Park
Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — Millions know the man, but few know his story. Academy Award-winner Daniel Junge (Saving Face) and actor/producer Johnny Knoxville take a candid look at American daredevil and icon Robert “Evel” Knievel while also reflecting on our voracious public appetite for heros and spectacle. Presented in collaboration with Park City Recreation.
Wednesday, August 26 • Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
Utah Community Choice Film — For the third year, Sundance Institute wants YOU to select the last film of the Summer Series. Through August 15, vote for your favorite Sundance Film Festival cult classic comedy: Clerks, Super Troopers or Wet Hot American Summer. Vote onsite at screenings or at sundance.org/utah. The winning film will be announced in late August.
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 new 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 Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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Editor’s Note: Photos and credit information for all films screening in the Summer Film Series can be found at sundance.org/images. 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.
