Did you miss the party?

Wazzup Film Peeps,

As May wraps up and summer officially begins, it's a perfect time to highlight some exciting film news you might have missed.

48 Hour Film Project

This weekend, the 48 Hour Film Project is taking place! Led by Brian Higgins, this is the largest competitive filmmaking challenge where teams are given specific elements they must incorporate into their short film. All films will be screened at Broadway Center Cinemas (111 East Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT). The film screenings are scheduled as follows:

• Group A: Wed, Jun 4, 2025, 6:00 PM

• Group B: Wed, Jun 4, 2025, 8:30 PM

• Group C: Thu, Jun 5, 2025, 6:00 PM

Outstanding films will also be featured at the "Best Of" Screening (Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025, 7:00 PM), where the award winners will be announced.

Tickets to the screenings can be purchased at the door or online at: https://slfs.org/

UIFF Alumnus Achieves #1 Horror Opening of the Decade!

During its opening weekend (May 16-18), Final Destination: Bloodlines grossed an impressive $51M in its first three days, making it the most successful film in the six-film franchise. One of the film's co-directors is UIFF Jury member and sponsor, Zach Lipovsky. His film is making a huge impact at the box office, and we are thrilled that audiences worldwide can experience his immense storytelling talent.

Angel Studios Success
Local studios are also finding success in theaters nationwide. Over Memorial Day weekend, Angel Studios released its latest feature film, The Last Rodeo, starring Neal McDonough and directed by Jon Avnet. The film ranked among the top 6 films nationwide, grossing $8.6M in its first week. In addition to its theatrical release, Angel Studios also made its box-office hit King of Kings available on the Angel Studios app for Guild members.

Angel Studios also has a unique system for greenlighting films and series. Instead of a few studio executives making decisions on which films receive funding, members of the Guild (paying members of the website) vote on "Torches" (projects). These selected projects are then moved into development and released in theaters. This model empowers the audience to "greenlight" the films and series they are most eager to see.

Filmmakers interested in submitting a project to Angel Studios to explore a potential partnership can visit https://www.angel.com/submit to learn about their four-step approval process.

“The Dead of Night” Wraps Production

The paranormal horror feature The Dead of Night has officially wrapped principal photography. The film stars Utah favorites Rachel Bennett and Dan Fowlks and is produced by J.R. Andrus and Co-Directed by Brandon Ho and Michael Merrell. Fun Fact: 99% of the movie was shot on a Steadicam by Director of Photography Galen Murray. The film is expected in late 2025 for a limited theatrical release.

Filmmaker Meetups

We've attended the two most recent Utah Filmmakers Meet & Greet events at SRS in Salt Lake City. These events have been a lot of fun and a great place to connect with filmmaking friends and learn about current happenings in the community directly from those involved. Guest speakers have also presented their experiences and insights into the local film industry. After the networking and guest speaker presentations, the instruments come out for a jam session to close out the night. If you're looking to make some offline connections, this event is a fantastic opportunity. Save $5 by ordering your tickets in advance! The next Meet and Greet is June 29th at 7:00 PM. Click HERE for the link.

Virtual Stage Tour at SLCC

This week, we represented the film festival at the Utah Film Commission’s "What’s Next" event. This information-gathering meeting connected many key film festivals and indie film exhibitors in the state. The event was held at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), where we got a look at what their film department offers current students. We were impressed to see they are utilizing a virtual production stage powered by the Unreal Engine, as well as a traditional soundstage with pre-built sets. We saw significant overlap between SLCC's offerings and the interests of our robust youth filmmaking audience. Should UIFF explore collaborations with SLCC to offer labs, seminars, or tours during our festival (January 1-5)? Let us know your thoughts!

No Agent? No Problem!
Can you get audition notices in Utah WITHOUT being represented by an agent? Yes, you can! This involves searching for auditions online, primarily through Facebook and StaffMeUp. Additionally, Jeff Johnson Casting maintains a list you can request to join for casting notices, even if you are not with an agency.

The upside of having an agent, however, is that they represent you on the business side—negotiating rates, terms, and conditions, and following up on delayed payments. This frees you up to focus on being the best talent possible.

Regular Film Jobs in Utah
Did you know that the Utah Film Commission is regularly contacted by film productions seeking cast and crew? You can see current hiring opportunities at: https://film.utah.gov/job-opportunities/

That's all the film news that's fit to print (or email!) for now. Hope you enjoyed this rundown! If you did, do us a solid – because sharing is caring! Blast this on your socials, or forward it to a friend who needs to be in the loop. The bigger our film family, the better!

Catch you on the flip side!

Promo code for reading this far
You are awesome and made it to the bottom of the newsletter. You deserve a reward. So here is a 50% discount for when you submit your project to the Utah International Film Festival.

Use the code UIFFNewsletter at https://filmfreeway.com/UtahFilmFestival