ST. GEORGE — The Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah, a nonprofit designed to champion filmmakers of all ages and skill sets, will host the inaugural “Desertscape International Film Festival.” Held June 20-22 at the Electric Theater in St. George, the festival will showcase the works of filmmakers from across the globe and include feature length and short films from multiple genres.
“The Desertscape International Film Festival is setting out to elevate filmmaking as an art form in Southern Utah,” a press release from festival organizer’s said.
Film and Media Alliance co-founder and president Adam Mast said that the festival will be a little cultural lesson, expanding audiences’ minds through the art of filmmaking.
“There’s a little something for everyone.”
The three-day festival will be broken down into themed blocks, such as “International,” “Shorts,” “Sights and Sounds,” “Animation Spotlight,” “Made in Utah,” “Desertscape After Dark” and “The Guerilla Shorts Showcase.”
The Guerilla Shorts Showcase highlights short works of film done by local filmmakers who are given a theme and a short period of time to create a short film – generally five minutes or less. The challenge acts as an opportunity for filmmakers of any skill set to learn the ins and outs of filmmaking and have their work featured on a big screen.
The Guerilla Short challenge began in the early 2000s, Mast said, and has become a popular Southern Utah event, with three challenges taking place throughout the year: summer, Halloween and Christmas. The nonprofit also hosts a handful of filmmaker spotlights throughout the year, but most of them have focused on local or at least Utah-based filmmakers.
Desertscape represents the first foray into the international film festival world for the Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah, but Mast said the time was right to jump in and test the waters.
“I love filmmaking with every fiber of my being, and I want to spread that joy,” he said. “It really is that simple.”
Films will include Will Kindrick’s Tribeca hit “Storm,” Eric Gordon’s intimate feature length Alzheimer’s documentary “When All That’s Left is Love,” the powerful Tunisian father/son drama “Brotherhood,” the inspirational mountain climbing opus that is “Jeff Lowe’s Metanoia” and Andre Hyland’s quirky Sundance premiere “Old Haunt.”
These titles only scratch the surface, the press release said.
The festival will also include filmmaker Q&A’s and panels as well as an opening night reception and closing night awards dinner.
Tickets for the Desertscape International Film Festival are on sale now and can be purchased online or at the door.
All-access passes for the entire festival are available for $80. All-access passes include a goodie bag, the awards dinner, opening reception and filmmaker lounge access as well as access to all the screening blocks. Guests who purchase all-access passes in advance (until June 19) receive 25% off using discount code DIFF25OFF.
Individual block passes can be purchased for $10. Students with valid identification and seniors (60 and up) will receive a $2 discount at the door.
A full schedule of films and other events can be found here.
Event details
- What: Desertscape International Film Festival.
- When: June 20-22, times vary, see schedule.
- Where: The Electric Theater, 68 E. Tabernacle, St. George.
- Cost: All-access package, $80; Block tickets, $10; students with valid ID and seniors (60 and up) will receive $2 off their admission at the door.
Resources
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.