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Feb 07
Love0

John Williams Legacy Continues

By City Watch

Encircle, the LGBTQ+ Family and Youth Resource Center, will open its second location in Salt Lake City, on the two-year anniversary of its first center in Provo. Encircle will hold a grand opening for the new home—the John Williams Encircle, named in memory of John Williams a prominent Salt Lake City restauranteur, historic preservationist and LGBTQ+ community supporter. The new facility is located in a historic home located at 331 S. 600 East in Salt Lake City.

The John Williams Encircle Grand Opening will be held on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is open to the public. The event will feature home tours and information on Encircle’s programs and services for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

Williams (1944-2016), a visionary and a founding partner of Gastronomy Restaurants. He helped revitalize the city’s downtown through his love of community, the arts and historical preservation. Williams, the uncle of Encircle’s founder and CEO Stephenie Larsen, was the first donor to commit funding to Encircle before his passing. His legacy of community involvement and generosity helped shape the vision of Encircle.

Encircle

Last December Encircle presented IGNITE 2018, at the Adobe Campus in Utah County.

“We hope that the John Williams Encircle will continue his legacy of love of community, family and the art,” Larsen explained. “John wanted Encircle to be a welcoming home for those who may not feel at home anywhere else, a place where people can connect with themselves and others. John wanted the youth to understand they should never feel shame for who they are, they are beautiful as they are and the world needs them”

Our coverage of IGNITE 2019

Notable members of the community supporting Encircle include Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox, Steve & Barbara Young, Mitchell Gold, Utah Senator Jim Dabakis, Utah Congressman Derek Kitchen, Scott Anderson, Marianne and James Huntsman, Diane Stewart, Amy Redford, Steve Eckert, Jenny Wilson, and other state and local officials. Musicians VINCINT, Parson James and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Choir will perform at the grand opening

Encircle

Encircle’s new SLC location will have a grand opening event on Feb. 8, 2019 and open for services on Feb. 14, 2019.

John Williams Encircle will begin offering services in on Valentine’s Day—Thursday, February 14, 2019. Encircle’s dedicated team seeks to empower the community’s LGBTQ+ youth and their families, offering support and love, while creating a safe gathering place available to individuals, loved ones, and the community. The center facilitates support groups, provides individual and family counseling, collaborates with school leaders to create safe learning environments for sexual and gender minority youth, hosts guest speakers and workshops, and much more.

Encircle

John Williams with Encircle’s founder Stephanie Larsen

Encircle strives to model what a loving home should feel like, and the LGBTQ+ youth benefit from the connectedness they experience because of that. Much care has been given to create each Encircle Home. As Larsen has stated, “The youth need to feel as though they are worth the very best.” As one LGBTQ+ youth who frequents Encircle commented, “I love Encircle because it’s a place where I don’t have to be scared of being me.” Another youth expressed similar sentiments, “Encircle is a place where I can find people I connect with, and feel safe and at ease socially.”

Learn more at EncircleTogether.org.

 

Feb 07
Love0

5 Best Chocolate Cakes in Utah

By Eat & Drink

OK, so you and I might have overlooked it, what with Sundance and the government shutdown and the state of the union and all. But a week ago Sunday, January 27, was National Chocolate Cake Day.

We missed it. But that raises one of those philosophical gastronomic questions: Can you ever really be too late for chocolate cake? No. It’s the obvious answer. Argue, if you’re able on our FB page.

Who knows why or how it was decided that Jan. 27 should be the day to honor chocolate cake? To my knowledge, there is no national chocolate cake organization to promote such a thing. Maybe it is a plot by Betty Crocker.

But April the fourth is International Carrot Day. Mark your calendars.

And the first Wednesday in October is National Kale Day. It’s never too early to start your Kale Day shopping.

In my mind, these are not real causes for celebration. But chocolate cake is.

To be clear, I’m not talking about molten or flourless or fallen or pound. I’m talking about a proper layer cake, one of the United States’ great contributions to gastronomy. And don’t start talking about French gateaux. We improved on that.

So here is my personal list of great chocolate cakes in Salt Lake City and beyond.

  1. Tulie Bakery — This is a true American layer cake—no fruit, no melting center, just layers of moist cake and icing (pictured above).
  2. Cakes de Fleur. These are some of my favorite cakes in the city‚incredible icing. There are some available in the case but it’s best to preorder.
  3. Whole Foods — A controversial choice, but I have always gotten extraordinary, very traditional chocolate cakes here.
  4. Tuscany — Only if you’re very brave or very large—this cake is a full 7 inches tall.
  5. Red Butte Cafe — A 3-layer cake with chocolate filling and icing.

I’m open to additions, deletions and expansion of this list. Find us on Facebook.

See all of our food and drink coverage here.

Feb 07
Love0

Sundance 2019 – The Tomorrow Man

By Arts & Culture

Watch a tight drama about paranoid retiree “Ed” (John Lithgow) and lovable widower Ronnie (Blythe Danner) overcoming their own endearing personal quirks to find love in their golden years? You bet!

Except “The Tomorrow Man” ends up feeling longer than 94 minutes, Ed and Ronnie’s eccentricities turn out to be rather damaging, individual scenes don’t necessarily add up to a cohesive whole, and a great wind-up fails to deliver a solid punch.

But Lithgow and Danner are great together and apart, while the story itself paints a rather bleak picture of aging in America masquerading as some kind of personal acceptance. Ed’s loneliness and bitterness over a failed marriage turn him into a socially awkward conspiracy theorist, “prepping” for the impending End Of The World. Seeing Ronnie at his local store buying the same sorts of prep-goods he frequently purchases (in small quantities so as not to raise suspicion!), he senses a kindred spirit. His light stalking develops into a relationship of convenience with absent-minded Ronnie, who is always late to work and never has anyone over to her house because she can barely fit inside it; she’s a hoarder, endlessly buying and storing stuff she doesn’t really need.

Complicating matters is the absence of a supportive family. Ronnie lost her husband to cancer long ago, and her only onscreen friend is a well-meaning coworker a third her age. Ed meanwhile is estranged from his son and family, with themselves fighting amongst each other.

All of this might be worth subjecting yourself to if it went somewhere. But as the movie wears on, the storyline frays, which is a shame since the set up was solid. I’ve seen this happen with many a Sundance film (this year’s “The Sound of Silence” and “The Sunlit Night” among them), which leads me to wonder if Sundance filmmakers work on their projects sequentially, with The Ending suffering from an approaching submission deadline.

Or perhaps the filmmakers wanted the disjointed nature of the third act to reflect the aged and jumbled mindset of the lead characters? If so, it’s a brave creative choice; but I don’t know if it makes for a satisfying movie-going experience. Around the 90-minute mark, I found myself prepping for the inevitable and predictable end as well.

“The Tomorrow Man”

RUN TIME 94 min

Writer/Director: Noble Jones

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See all of our Sundance Coverage here!

Feb 07
Love0

Sundance 2019 – Brittany Runs A Marathon (2019)

By Arts & Culture

Loosely based on the true story of his real-life best friend Brittany, writer/director Paul Downs Colaizzo delivers one of the best dramedies this year at Sundance, the aptly named “Brittany Runs A Marathon.”

Although an ensemble film by some measure, Jillian Bell takes center stage as a young woman struggling with body issues, insecurities, and a general lack of direction in her life. She covers up such conversational non-starters with her wit and humor, although sometimes her quips reveal too much; double-edged, they often lightly cut the listener while gutting herself.

Brittany’s ire is fueled by keeping up with the virtual Joneses in her social media feed, with everyone’s life looking far better than hers; in particular her vapid, outgoing roommate (Alice Lee) and her successful, upstairs neighbor (Michaela Watkins). It doesn’t help that she can’t get away from such comparisons even when taking a break from Facebook, as she plays this same game with members on her own family, and even perfect strangers with their presumably perfect lives. As such, “Brittany” is more than just a film about poor body image, its more of a survival story in a time when the virtual seems preferable to the actual; when everyone feels they must “go it alone” as long as they share the news eventually; and connections are constantly made online but scarcely in reality.

Many of the actors in the film usually wind up as the sidekick or supporting character in other movies, but here, the cast of “Brittany” is given so much to do — with much of their activities contributing to the overall storyline — that sometimes they all feel like co-leads without ever crowding the titular focus (and actor) of the film.

The marathon that Brittany endures is certainly more than literal and one for which she must volunteer. She realizes that in the game of life the prize doesn’t always go to the swift, but to those who just finish. Very funny and heartfelt, “Brittany” is that rare film that doesn’t preach or condone; just simply tells the story of one woman’s journey to love herself, accept that others love her too. Sometimes the best success stories are within and never get a single “Like.”

“Brittany Runs A Marathon” was picked up by Amazon, so watch for it soon on Prime.

Watch the Q& A session with the writer/director here!

Paul Downs Colaizzo, director of Brittany Runs A Marathon, an official selection of the NEXT program at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Brittany Runs A Marathon (2019)

1h 43min | Drama

Director: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Writer: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Stars: Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Arrington, Jillian Bell

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See all of our Sundance Coverage here!

 

Feb 07
Love0

Sundance 2019 – The Sunlit Night

By Arts & Culture

Director David Wnendt (of “Wetlands” fame) joins forces with newly minted poet-turned-novelist Rebecca Dinerstein to adapt her novel of the same name into the movie “The Sunlit Night.” The title refers to the 24 hours of sun her onscreen counterpart Frances (Jenny Slate) experiences during an extended stay on an island in Norway.

But that’s about all of the facts you will find in this work of fiction. The rest of the drama, including but not limited to a project to paint an entire barn, the belligerent artist in charge of this strange residency, Frances’ love interest, and his familial encumbrances… all fiction. Not that I mind fiction, but whereas real life can be unbelievable at times, as Mark Twain was quoted as saying: “…fiction needs to be credible.” But much of “The Sunlit Night” just isn’t.

After a rocky week wherein her own art project falls short, she fails to get even a job she barely wants, her model-handsome boyfriend breaks up with her just when her younger sister gets engaged, Frances’ parents get separated.

All of this desperation leads to the decision to get away from the Big Apple and go just about as far north as she can.

Meanwhile, a young man named Yasha toils away in his father’s bakery in the same city, but he and Frances never meet. He’s too busy making the pastries that feed NYC’s endless stream of blue-collar workers stopping by for a quick bite, as well as a mysterious older gentleman who makes a point to visit and to make his visits memorable.

But when Yasha’s father dies – you guessed it – he requests that he be buried on Frances’ tiny island in the Arctic Circle. They meet and ludicrously quickly fall in love and reject all manner of opportunities to instead eventually be with each other back in the states.

Slate is in the lead as Frances, and she’s just charming enough to make you overlook how annoying her character can be. Zach Galifianakis provides comedy relief from all the neurosis on display as an expatriate, wannabe Viking. Gillian Anderson’s Russian accent is good as Yasha’s long-lost mother, and so is she (for as long as she’s around) which is to say, not much. Even the aforementioned Mysterious Gentleman makes an appearance up north.

Both Yasha and Frances’ stories are fine as they are (although Frances’ line is far more developed than Yasha’s), although not extremely interesting. However, once entwined, the credulity is strained to the point of indifference. It’s all well and good, but almost pointless. If you’re going to ask me to believe your slice of life story, at least make your slices part of a satisfying sandwich.

One of a trio of movies whose endings undermined the whole (“The Silence of Sound’” and “The Tomorrow Man”), viewing “The Sunlit Night” is akin to sitting through someone’s photo album of a vacation you didn’t take; it’s only as interesting as it can be considering you weren’t on the trip, and the pics don’t do their experience justice.

Check out the Q&A from a screening at the SLCC Grand Theater here!

“The Sunlit Night.”

RUN TIME 106 min

Director: David Wnendt

Writer: Rebecca Dinerstein

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See all of our Sundance Coverage here!

Feb 07
Love0

Park City Locals Krass and Hall Shine at Big Air World Championships

By City Watch

The FIS Freestyle, Freeskiing and Snowboarding World Championships is taking over Utah this week, and a couple of hometown heroes stepped up to put on a show for the local crowd. In front of a raucous packed house under the lights at Park City Canyons Village, Julia Krass and Alex Hall went huge during the inaugural Ski Big Air World Championships, unfurling a series of tricks that have each looking like prime contenders for the event’s inclusion in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Krass on her way to earning a silver medal. Photo: Rocky Maloney

Krass finished the night by taking home the World Championship Silver Medal in the women’s competition during what was her first ever big air event. The Hanover, New Hampshire native who lives and trains part time in Park City is an accomplished slopestyle athlete, but she’d never before taken her skills to the more all-in format of big air. Krass started the night with a right side double cork 1080 safety grab—three spins while going off axis twice and grabbing her ski edge—before upping the ante with a switch 1080 safety grab—three spins while taking off and landing backwards—a trick she’d never done in competition before.

Hall—a local Utah shredder who is fresh off a career-defining X Games Gold Medal victory in January—finished just off the men’s podium in fourth place. Wearing the lucky sweater his mother gave him last year for Christmas, Hall threw down a left side double cork 1620 and a massive left side switch double cork 1440 with a seatbelt grab to challenge for a spot on the box right up to the end of the evening.

Alex Hall with his signature seatbelt grab during qualifiers.
Photo: Rocky Maloney

You can check out the highlights from Krass and Hall by visiting the US Ski and Snowboard website. They’ll both be taking center stage on Wednesday, February 6 at Park City Mountain for the World Championships Slopestyle Competition. Check out the rest of the World Championships schedule including men’s and women’s halfpipe, moguls, aerials and more to see the world’s best in action.

Feb 6, 2019

11:00 a.m.- FREESKI SLOPESTYLE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

7:00 p.m. –  FREESTYLE AERIALS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

FEB 7, 2019

7:00 p.m. – FREESTYLE TEAM AERIALS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

FEB 8, 2019

11:00 a.m.- SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

7:00 p.m. – FREESTYLE MOGULS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

FEB 9, 2019

11:00 a.m. – FREESKI HALFPIPE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

7:00 p.m. – FREESTYLE DUAL MOGULS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

Feb 10, 2019

11:00 a.m.- SLOPESTYLE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

4:00 p.m.- CLOSING CEREMONIES AND HEADLINE ACT LUPE FIASCO, HOSTED BY DEER VALLEY RESORT – MAIN STREET, PARK CITY

 

 

 

Feb 07
Love0

Snowbasin and Sun Valley Added to Epic Pass

By Adventures, Outdoors

Snowbasin and Sun Valley have announced they’ll be joining the Epic Pass with a multi-year partnership beginning in the 2019-2020 winter season. The two resorts will still be independently owned and operated, but Epic Pass holders will receive seven days of direct-to-lift access at each location—Epic Local Pass holders get two days at each mountain—in addition to half price day tickets after using the allotted free days.

Utah Epic Pass holders will have a lot more of this to look forward to at Snowbasin.

The addition of Snowbasin is of particular significance to skiers in the Beehive State, who until now had been limited to just one local resort, Park City Mountain, with the Epic Pass. After Alterra swooped in with the Ikon Pass offering unlimited skiing and riding at Solutide and seven days each at Alta, Snowbird and Deer Valley, Vail’s Epic Pass was in danger of being overlooked by those outside of the Park City sect. Snowbasin’s varied terrain featuring everything from wide open groomers to steep, rocky chutes has always been revered as a bit of a local secret, and their lodge and dining options are as top-notch as any in the country. Its addition to the Epic Pass is certain to open the Ogden resort to an entirely new segment of skiers while giving Epic Pass holders a welcome bit of Utah-based variety.

The terrain at Snowbasin has something for everyone.

Sun Valley was one of America’s first true destination resorts and is just over a four and a half hour drive from Salt Lake City. A long weekend trip to the iconic mountain in Idaho just got a lot more affordable for Utah skiers. I wouldn’t expect the full Vail-resort experience to take over either Snowbasin or Sun Valley as long as they maintain their independent ownership, so the sovereign vibes could be a nice added perk. Epic Pass holders will have to wait until next winter to reap the benefits, but the Ikon vs. Epic debate in Utah just got a little more heated.

 

Feb 05
Love0

Sundance 2019: And the Winners Are…

By Film, Sundance

After 10 days and 121 feature films, the 2019 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony took place presenting 28 prizes for feature filmmaking. “Supporting artists and their stories has been at the core of Sundance Institute’s mission from the very beginning,” said Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford. “At this critical moment, it’s more necessary than ever to support independent voices, to watch and listen to the stories they tell.”

The awards ceremony marked the culmination of the 2019 Festival, where 121 feature-length and 73 short films — selected from 14,259 submissions — were showcased in Park City, Salt Lake City and Sundance, alongside work in the new Indie Episodic category, panels, music and New Frontier.

2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE FILM AWARDS

A still from One Child Nation by Jialing Zhang and Nanfu Wang, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition an at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Nanfu Wang

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Rachel Grady to: Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, for One Child Nation / China, U.S.A. (Directors: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Producers: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman, Christoph Jörg, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn) — After becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China’s one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Damien Chazelle to: Chinonye Chukwu, for Clemency / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chinonye Chukwu, Producers: Bronwyn Cornelius, Julian Cautherley, Peter Wong, Timur Bekbosunov) — Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill. Cast: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Richard Schiff, Wendell Pierce, Richard Gunn, Danielle Brooks. 

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Verena Paravel to: Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, for Honeyland / Macedonia (Directors: Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska, Producer: Atanas Georgiev) — When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland’s basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

2019 Sundance Film Awards

Tom Burke and Honor Swinton Byrne appear in The Souvenir by Joanna Hogg, an official selection of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Agatha A. Nitecka.

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Jane Campion to: Joanna Hogg, for The Souvenir / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Joanna Hogg, Producers: Luke Schiller, Joanna Hogg) — A shy film student begins finding her voice as an artist while navigating a turbulent courtship with a charismatic but untrustworthy man. She defies her protective mother and concerned friends as she slips deeper and deeper into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship which comes dangerously close to destroying her dreams. Cast: Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton.

The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was presented by Mark Duplass to: Knock Down the House / U.S.A. (Director: Rachel Lears, Producers: Sarah Olson, Robin Blotnick, Rachel Lears) — A young bartender in the Bronx, a coal miner’s daughter in West Virginia, a grieving mother in Nevada and a registered nurse in Missouri build a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents in Congress. One of their races will become the most shocking political upset in recent American history. Cast: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was presented by Paul Downs Colaizzo to: Brittany Runs A Marathon / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Paul Downs Colaizzo, Producers: Matthew Plouffe, Tobey Maguire, Margot Hand) — A woman living in New York takes control of her life – one city block at a time. Cast:Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, Micah Stock, Alice Lee. 

The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented by Ray Romano to: Sea of Shadows / Austria (Director: Richard Ladkani, Producers: Walter Koehler, Wolfgang Knoepfler) —The vaquita, the world’s smallest whale, is near extinction as its habitat is destroyed by Mexican cartels and Chinese mafia, who harvest the swim bladder of the totoaba fish, the “cocaine of the sea.” Environmental activists, Mexican navy and undercover investigators are fighting back against this illegal multimillion-dollar business.

The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented by Mark Duplass to: Queen of Hearts / Denmark (Director: May el-Toukhy, Screenwriters: Maren Louise Käehne, May el-Toukhy, Producers: Caroline Blanco, René Ezra) — A woman jeopardizes both her career and her family when she seduces her teenage stepson and is forced to make an irreversible decision with fatal consequences. Cast: Trine Dyrholm, Gustav Lindh, Magnus Krepper. 

The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was presented by Danielle Macdonald to: The Infiltrators / U.S.A. (Directors: Alex Rivera, Cristina Ibarra, Screenwriters: Alex Rivera, Aldo Velasco, Producers: Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera, Darren Dean) — A rag-tag group of undocumented youth – Dreamers – deliberately get detained by Border Patrol in order to infiltrate a shadowy, for-profit detention center. Cast: Maynor Alvarado, Manuel Uriza, Chelsea Rendon, Juan Gabriel Pareja, Vik Sahay.

The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented by Yance Ford to: Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, for American Factory / U.S.A. (Directors: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Producers: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert, Julie Parker Benello) — In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented by Desiree Akhavan to: Joe Talbot, for The Last Black Man in San Francisco / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Talbot, Screenwriters: Joe Talbot, Rob Richert, Producers: Khaliah Neal, Joe Talbot, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh) — Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.

The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented by Maite Alberdi to: Mads Brügger, for Cold Case Hammarskjöld / Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Belgium (Director: Mads Brügger, Producers: Peter Engel, Andreas Rocksén, Bjarte M. Tveit) — Danish director Mads Brügger and Swedish private investigator Göran Bjorkdahl are trying to solve the mysterious death of Dag Hammarskjold. As their investigation closes in, they discover a crime far worse than killing the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented by Ciro Guerra to: Lucía Garibaldi, for The Sharks / Uruguay, Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Lucía Garibaldi, Producers: Pancho Magnou Arnábal, Isabel García) — While a rumor about the presence of sharks in a small beach town distracts residents, 15-year-old Rosina begins to feel an instinct to shorten the distance between her body and Joselo’s. Cast: Romina Bentancur, Federico Morosini, Fabián Arenillas, Valeria Lois, Antonella Aquistapache.

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented by Phyllis Nagy to: Pippa Bianco, for Share / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Pippa Bianco, Producers: Carly Hugo, Tyler Byrne, Matt Parker) — After discovering a disturbing video from a night she doesn’t remember, sixteen-year-old Mandy must try to figure out what happened and how to navigate the escalating fallout. Cast: Rhianne Barreto, Charlie Plummer, Poorna Jagannathan, J.C. MacKenzie, Nick Galitzine, Lovie Simone.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency was presented by Alissa Wilkinson to: Jacqueline Olive, for Always in Season / U.S.A. (Director: Jacqueline Olive, Producers: Jacqueline Olive, Jessica Devaney) — When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother’s search for justice and reconciliation begins as the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present.

Read our review of Always in Season Film Review.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker was presented by Jeff Orlowski to: Liza Mandelup, for Jawline / U.S.A. (Director: Liza Mandelup, Producers: Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Hannah Reyer) — The film follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem who built his following on wide-eyed optimism and teen girl lust, as he tries to escape a dead-end life in rural Tennessee.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing was presented by Alissa Wilkinson to: Todd Douglas Miller, for APOLLO 11 / U.S.A. (Director: Todd Douglas Miller, Producers: Todd Douglas Miller, Thomas Petersen, Evan Krauss) — A purely archival reconstruction of humanity’s first trip to another world, featuring never-before-seen 70mm footage and never-before-heard audio from the mission.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography was presented by Jeff Orlowski to: Luke Lorentzen, Midnight Family / Mexico, U.S.A. (Director: Luke Lorentzen, Producers: Kellen Quinn, Daniela Alatorre, Elena Fortes, Luke Lorentzen) — In Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance, competing with other for-profit EMTs for patients in need of urgent help. As they try to make a living in this cutthroat industry, they struggle to keep their financial needs from compromising the people in their care.

A still from Midnight Family by Luke Lorentzen, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Luke Lorentzen.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Vision and Craft was presented by Tessa Thompson to: Alma Har’el for her film Honey Boy / U.S.A. (Director: Alma Har’el, Screenwriter: Shia LaBeouf, Producers: Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Anita Gou, Christopher Leggett, Alma Har’el) — A child TV star and his ex-rodeo clown father face their stormy past through time and cinema. Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe. 

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Collaboration was presented by Dennis Lim to: Director Joe Talbot for his film The Last Black Man in San Francisco / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Talbot, Screenwriters: Joe Talbot, Rob Richert, Producers: Khaliah Neal, Joe Talbot, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh) — Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind. Cast: Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, Rob Morgan, Tichina Arnold, Danny Glover.

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting was presented by Tessa Thompson to: Rhianne Barreto, for Share / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Pippa Bianco, Producers: Carly Hugo, Tyler Byrne, Matt Parker) — After discovering a disturbing video from a night she doesn’t remember, sixteen-year-old Mandy must try to figure out what happened and how to navigate the escalating fallout. Cast: Rhianne Barreto, Charlie Plummer, Poorna Jagannathan, J.C. MacKenzie, Nick Galitzine, Lovie Simone.

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for No Borders was presented by Maite Alberdi to: Hassan Fazzili, for Midnight Traveler / U.S.A., Qatar, United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Hassan Fazili, Screenwriter: Emelie Mahdavian, Producers: Emelie Mahdavian, Su Kim) — When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing their uncertain journey, Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run.

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change was presented by Nico Marzano to: Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, for Honeyland / Macedonia (Directors: Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska, Producer: Atanas Georgiev) — When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland’s basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography was presented by Nico Marzano to: Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma, for Honeyland / Macedonia (Directors: Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska, Producer: Atanas Georgiev) — When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland’s basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality was presented by Ciro Guerra to: Makoto Nagahisa, for WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES / Japan (Director and screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producers: Taihei Yamanishi, Shinichi Takahashi, Haruki Yokoyama, Haruhiko Hasegawa) — Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can’t cry. So they form a kick-ass band. This is the story of four 13-year-olds in search of their emotions. Cast: Keita Ninomiya, Satoshi Mizuno, Mondo Okumura, Sena Nakajima. 

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award was presented by Charles Gillbert to: Alejandro Landes, for Monos / Colombia, Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Uruguay (Director: Alejandro Landes, Screenwriters: Alejandro Landes, Alexis Dos Santos, Producers: Alejandro Landes, Fernando Epstein, Santiago Zapata, Cristina Landes) — On a faraway mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow. Cast: Julianne Nicholson, Moisés Arias, Sofia Buenaventura, Deiby Rueda, Karen Quintero, Laura Castrillón.

Read our review of Monos 

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting was presented by Charles Gillbert to: Krystyna Janda, for Dolce Fine Giornata / Poland (Director: Jacek Borcuch, Screenwriters: Jacek Borcuch, Szczepan Twardoch, Producer: Marta Habior) — In Tuscany, Maria’s stable family life begins to erode as her relationship with a young immigrant develops against a backdrop of terrorism and eroding democracy.

The NEXT Innovator Prize was presented by juror Laurie Anderson to: Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, for The Infiltrators / U.S.A. (Directors: Alex Rivera, Cristina Ibarra, Screenwriters: Alex Rivera, Aldo Velasco, Producers: Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera, Darren Dean) — A rag-tag group of undocumented youth – Dreamers – deliberately get detained by Border Patrol in order to infiltrate a shadowy, for-profit detention center. Cast: Maynor Alvarado, Manuel Uriza, Chelsea Rendon, Juan Gabriel Pareja, Vik Sahay. 

 

Karess Bashar appears in Aziza by Soudade Kadaan, an official selection of the Shorts Programs at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Moe Latouf.

SHORT FILM AWARDS:
Jury prizes and honorable mentions in short filmmaking were presented at a ceremony in Park City on January 29. The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: Aziza / Syria, Lebanon (Director: Soudade Kaadan, Screenwriters: Soudade Kaadan, May Hayek). The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was presented to: Green / U.S.A. (Director: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Screenwriters: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Mustafa Kaymak). The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was presented to: Dunya’s Day / Saudi Arabia, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Raed Alsemari). The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was presented to: Ghosts of Sugar Land / U.S.A. (Director: Bassam Tariq). The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was presented to: Reneepoptosis / U.S.A., Japan (Director and screenwriter: Renee Zhan). Two Special Jury Awards for Directing werepresented to:  FAST HORSE / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Alexandra Lazarowich) and The MINORS / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Robert Machoian). The Short Film jurors were Young Jean Lee, Carter Smith and Sheila Vand. The Short Film program is presented by YouTube.

Aziz Capkurt and Erol Afsin appear in Green by Suzanne Andrews Correa, an official selection of the Shorts Programs at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Marina Piedade.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE | ALFRED P. SLOAN FEATURE FILM PRIZE
The 2019 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, presented to an outstanding feature film about science or technology, was presented to The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The filmmakers received a $20,000 cash award from Sundance Institute with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE | AMAZON STUDIOS PRODUCERS AWARDS
Carly Hugoand Matt Parker received the 2019 Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Awards for Feature Film. Lori Cheatle received the 2019 Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Documentary Film. The award recognizes bold vision and a commitment to continuing work as a creative producer in the independent space, and grants money (via the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program and Documentary Film Program) to emerging producers of films at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Sundance Institute / NHK Award was presented to Planet Korsakov (Japan) / Taro Aoshima.

See all of our Sundance coverage here.

Feb 05
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Bad-ass Cross Stitch

By Lifestyle

Move over, Granny. Embroidery is no longer the territory of prim and proper ladies armed with cutesy samplers. Instead, modern women have harnessed it as a form of artistic expression and self-care wrapped into one. Needles have become weapons in the hands of a new generation of women who are infusing “women’s work”—quilting, knitting, embroidering and cross-stitching—with a new meaning, and demanding respect for it.

Kassie Scribner, from Salt Lake, is the owner of Lady Scrib Design & Embroidery and says she learned to cross stitch from her grandmother when she was 10 and revisited it as an adult. “I’m able to calm down and I have this thing that has this really fluid motion. Then at the end, I have something I’ve made,” she says. 

But she finds that the craft is often dismissed. “People will say, ‘Oh my grandma did this.’ Or, ‘I could do this myself,’” Scribner says. “And I think ‘Oh year you definitely could stitch. I could also draw someone who looks like they could be in a comic book, but it’s not going to look good.’ People devalue this art because they think it’s accessible. And it is accessible, but they don’t see how much time goes into each piece.”

These samplers aren’t folksy—they’re feminist. Pithy comments about the patriarchy, pop culture references and politics are all in the (sometimes profane) mix.

Go Ahead—Stab Something Ready to take a shot at your own stitching? Scribner teaches embroidery workshops for beginner-level students. Find out more at Lady Scrib Design & Embroidery and on her Instagram @lady_scrib.

Read more stories like this and all of our Community coverage. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

Feb 05
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Sundance 2019 – Mike Wallace Is Here

By Arts & Culture

Back in the day (that day being the `80s and `90s) the words “Mike Wallace is Here” probably struck fear into the heart of many a volunteered surprise interviewee. Wallace basically invented the guerilla-style interview format, and this documentary is as timely as it is needed, with journalism under attack every day. The cyclical nature of life in general and news stories specifically are hilariously shown, with people being concerned about journalistic values vs. showbiz; lying politicians; and even this “new math” being taught in schools …in 1968.

Utilizing entertaining old footage from when he was more of a jack-of-all-trades on-air talent — either working on game shows or hawking products — “Wallace” introduces us to a man probably totally unfamiliar even to those who knew him from “60 Minutes,” his most famous outlet.

But captions might have been wise for such footage, as much of the audio is of poor quality: hampered by being recorded with antiquated techniques or captured during live shoots on remote locations. Additionally, onscreen lower thirds would have helped identify the various subjects of his numerous interviews, as I doubt many in the audience will recognize them all, or their significance. The small slices of interviews may make you want to watch them in full, though.

Still, such footage takes us to a different world, one where cigarettes are everywhere (cigarette smoke was even used as the background for the title sequence of his 1956 show Night Beat, a precursor to 60 Minutes), and Wallace’s brand of bulldog seems almost quaint by comparison to the bombast regularly seen on today’s news programs.

But to that modern bluster he never got to witness (he died in 2012), Wallace makes a great point: to not confuse anger and hostility with a dogged insistence to get to the facts. “Wallace” also address the intertwined and complicated relationship between advertisers and Networks, and the rise of tabloid journalism, even though the doc itself uses many of its typical trappings: stylized transitions, editing techniques, music beds, and pointed juxtaposition of shots. An interesting use of split screen shows Wallace observing Mike Wallace observing the reactions of people Mike Wallace is interviewing; a rather meta way of visually representing the cult of personality that so many journalistic icons of Wallace’s level attain.

But the doc also humanizes Wallace, as he takes on the tough questions regarding his own personal life, the tragic loss of his son, and his battle with insecurities and outright depression.

A movie (or a doc) is sometimes its ending, and this movie has a good one; it answers the question Why. Why make this doc, or why would anyone do Wallace’s job? I won’t spoil that ending by telling you the answer; just check out the film.

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  • “Mike Wallace is Here”
  • TRT: 94 min
  • Drexler Films/Delirio Films
  • Director: Avi Belkin

See all of our Sundance Coverage here.