Utah. The Backdrop of Sundance Film Festival.

In 1978, a film festival took place in the state of Utah that was created by Utah Film Commissioner, John Earle, along with Robert Redford’s company at the time, Wildwood. Initially called the Utah/US Film Festival, it was hosted at Trolley Square in Salt Lake City in the middle of the summer. Can you believe that?!?! To keep up with the changing times, the festival was renamed the US Film and Video Festival in 1981 and an executive decision was made to move the festival to January and its now-home in Park City. As legend would have it, we can all thank the late, great Sydney Pollack for it. In 1985, Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute took over management and launched the US Film Festival presented by Sundance Institute. Fast forward to 1991 when the festival took on the name the Sundance Film Festival and the rest is Utah film history!

Sundance Film Festival has not only become a staple event in the film industry but it has become one of Utah’s biggest draws for winter tourism. Of course, the Greatest Snow on Earth® might have something to do with that, as well. The Sundance Film Festival now welcomes audiences in Utah and online across the globe each January, but one thing is always certain, there’s never a shortage of good films!

Did you know there have been more than 45 films with Utah ties that have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival? Here’s a look back at past made-in-Utah Festival films that were supported by the Utah Film Commission.

Don Verdean
Comedy, Drama
Don Verdean is a film starring Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan, and Will Forte, about a questionable character working as a self-styled “biblical archaeologist” who advances his cause by creating phony religious artifacts. Directed by Jared Hess and co-written by himself and his wife, Jerusha Hess. The husband-and-wife filmmaker duo have crafted their own comedy-genre with films like; Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Nacho Libre (2006), and Gentlemen Broncos (2009). They began filming Don Verdean in 2014 and filmed in familiar spots like; Tooele City, the First Congregational Church on Foothill in Salt Lake City, and biblical scenes were shot in and around Kanab.

Don Verdean premiered January 28, 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival, it was acquired by Lionsgate and is currently available on Amazon Prime Video.

In Football We Trust
Documentary, Family, Sport
In Football We Trust was filmed over four years as filmmakers, Tony Vainuku and Erika Cohn, track the journeys of four talented Polynesian high school football players as they strive toward their lifelong, and potentially life-changing, goal of professional recruitment. Erika Cohn is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director/producer, and Utah native. Most recently, she released her film, Belly of the Beast, which was also supported by the Utah Film Commission.

In Football We Trust premiered on January 23, 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival. You can find more information on the film’s website.

Snatchers
Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Snatchers is based on a 2015 short film, which became a web micro-series that premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2017, eventually turning into the feature film form it has today. The film follows a high school student, Sara, as she loses her virginity to her boyfriend, Skyler. When she wakes up pregnant, she visits the clinic with her best friend, Hayley, where she gives birth to an alien creature. Filming took place in and around Salt Lake City in places like; Westminster College, The Gateway, and Redman Movies & Stories.

Snatchers (the episodic version) premiered on January 21, 2017 in the Midnight Episodic Showcase at the Sundance Film Festival. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video.

Wind River
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Wind River is a film starring Jeremy Renner, Kelsey Asbille, and Elizabeth Olsen, about a veteran hunter who helps an FBI agent investigate the murder of a young woman on a Native American Reservation. Principal photography began on March 12, 2016, in Oakley, Echo, Thousand Peaks Ranch, Snowbird Ski Resort, Park City, and the Utah Film Studios. The film is the third installment of Taylor Sheridan’s trilogy of “the modern-day American frontier”, after Sicario (2015), and Hell or High Water (2016). Sheridan has stated he was inspired to write this film because he learned of the “thousands of actual stories just like it”, in reference to the high number of Indigenous women who are victims of sexual assault and/or murder. This film was also Sheridan’s intro to filmmaking in Utah and was a catalyst for bringing seasons 1-3 of the Paramount series, Yellowstone.

Wind River premiered on January 21st, 2017 at Sundance Film Festival. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video. Hear more from the cast & crew of Wind River about their experience filming in Utah.

Brigsby Bear
Comedy, Drama
Brigsby Bear follows the story of James, a man who lives in an underground bunker with his parents, Ted and April, who have convinced him the outside world is a dangerous place. James spends his time in his bedroom watching the children’s show, Brigsby Bear, when his life is suddenly shaken up by a police raid and the revelation that Ted and April are not his real parents. The film was co-written by Kyle Mooney and Kevin Costello, and directed by Dave McCary. Production began in Utah in July 2016 in locations like; Stansbury Island, areas near Smith and Morehouse Reservoir, the Tower Theatre, and the Memorial Courthouse in Farmington.

Brigsby Bear premiered on January 23, 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video. Hear more from the cast & crew of Brigsby Bear about their experience filming in Utah.

Deidra & Laney Rob A Train
Comedy, Crime, Drama
Deidra & Laney Rob A Train follows two sisters who turn to train robbing in order to support their family after their mother ends up in jail. Written by Shelby Farrell, directed by Sydney Freeland, and starring Ashleigh Murray and Rachel Crow. Production began in June 2016 and filmed around Ogden, Heber City, and Salt Lake City. Film locations include; Judge Memorial High School, Peery’s Egyptian Theatre, Ogden’s own Best Burger (RIP). The production also utilized the Heber Valley Railroad for all of the train scenes.

Deidra & Laney Rob A Train premiered on January 23, 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival. You can watch the film on Netflix.

Hereditary
Drama, Horror, Mystery
Hereditary is a film written and directed by Ari Aster, in his directorial debut, and stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, and Gabriel Byrne. The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming A24’s highest-grossing film worldwide, which still tracks! The film follows the Graham family as they grieve the loss of their matriarch. After her death, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. Production began filming in April 2017 and they shot mostly around Salt Lake City and Park City. While the exterior of the Graham house is located in Park City, in order to achieve the dollhouse effects, the interiors were built on soundstages at Utah Film Studios, also utilizing the studio’s parking lot for the storefront scene. You may recognize iconic shots from the film like; Larkin Sunset Garden Cemetery in Sandy, West High School, and the Avenues.

Hereditary premiered on January 21, 2018 in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video or Kanopy.

Damsel
Comedy, Drama, Western
Damsel began filming in June 2016 and shot entirely in Summit County, utilizing locations such as; Thousand Peaks Ranch and Roger’s Western Town. The film follows an affluent pioneer, Samuel Alabaster circa 1870, as he ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain, and damsel. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, and David Zellner.

Damsel premiered on January 23, 2018 at the Sundance Film Festival. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.

Nine Days
Drama, Fantasy
Nine Days is about a reclusive man who conducts interviews with human souls for a chance to be born. It is the first feature film written and directed by Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab alum, Edson Oda. The inspiration for the film came from the untimely death of Oda’s uncle, and a longing to reconnect and understand his life and death. The film began shooting in July 2019 and used locations like; Bonneville Salt Flats, Saltair, Liberty Park, and areas around Salt Lake City, and West Valley City. Most impressively, they constructed a house facade set on top of Knolls Recreation Area, giving the film its ethereal feel. The film stars Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Tony Hale, and Bill Skarsgård.

Nine Days premiered on January 27, 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and released theatrically in Summer 2021. You can watch it on STARZ. Hear more from the cast & crew of Nine Days about their experience filming in Utah.

Summering
Drama
Four best friends on the brink of starting middle school, realize their lives are about to change forever. So on the last weekend of summer, they set out to make the most of it. The film shot in Midvale and around Salt Lake County. It was directed by James Ponsoldt and written by Benjamin Percy and James Ponsoldt. It stars Lake Bell, Megan Mullally, Ashley Madekwe, Eden Grace Redfield, Madalen Mills, Sanai Victoria, Lia Barnett, and Sarah Cooper.

Summering premiered on January 22, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival and released theatrically in Summer 2022. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video. Hear more from the cast & crew of Summering about their experience filming in Utah.

Aliens Abducted my Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out
Comedy, Drama
Itsy’s new in town and thinks her life is over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin, who believes his parents were abducted by aliens. As an aspiring journalist, Itsy decides to write an exposé, but she discovers much more. This sci-fi family narrative film was supported by the Utah Motion Picture Incentive Program and shot in small towns like Kamas, Echo, Wallsburg, and Palmyra. The film was directed by Utah filmmaker, Jake Van Wagoner and stars Emma Tremblay, Jacob Buster and Will Forte.

Aliens Abducted my Parents and Now I Fell Kinda Left Out premiered on January 20, 2023 at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Utah Film Commission’s Motion Picture Incentive Program was established in 2014, but as we know, plenty of great films have utilized Utah’s beautiful landscape since well before then. Here is a list of some of the other filmed-in-Utah premieres that screened in years past at the Sundance Film Festival.

Promised Land (1988)
Sure Fire (1990)
Deseret (1995)
Plan 10 From Outer Space (1995)
The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997)
Baby It’s You (1998)
Out of the Past (1998)
SLC Punk! (1999)
Christmas in the Clouds (2001)
Nobody’s Baby (2001)
The Beaver Trilogy (2001)
Family Fundamentals (2002)
Gerry (2002)
Edge of America (2003)
Pipe Dreams (2003)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Don’t Come Knocking (2005)
Dark Matter (2007)
It is Fine! Everything is Fine. (2007)
Adventures of Power (2008)
8: The Mormon Proposition (2010)
Lovers of Hate (2010)
Frozen (2010)
The Crash Reel (2013)
Sonita (2015)
Believer (2018)
Quiet Heroes (2018)
One Child Nation (2019)
The MINORS (2019)
The Killing of Two Lovers (2020)
I Have No Tears, and I Must Cry (2023)

Check out a complete list of filmed-in-Utah premieres that have screened at the Sundance Film Festival here.