How to Prepare for a Film Festival Screening: The Complete Filmmaker Checklist 
Do It for the Story: What Lenni Uitto Wants Every Filmmaker to Remember 
What Film Festival Programmers Really Look For—and the Mistakes They See Every Year 
Why Seeing Your Film With a Live Audience Changes Everything 
How to Make Your First Short Film: A Step-by-Step Guide 
A Rare Grand Alignment – Film Review
Recently, a film crossed my desk that immediately pulled me into a very specific moment in time and refused to...
I’ll Be Right Back – Film Review
I’ll Be Right Back places me in the middle of a quiet camping trip that turns tense fast. A father...
Filmmaker – Conrad Paur
I absolutely loved my experience with the Utah International Film Festival. Their love for all filmmakers both young and old...
And the Winners are…
UTAH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS JAN 5th, 2026 Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center Comedy A Ghosted Heart Connie & Clyde EL...
Filmmaker – Emily Rasmuss
UIFF is full of great opportunities and people. Venue, events, panels and, most of all, programming! I saw so many...
Filmmaker – Ben Coles
I cannot thank the festival team for such a wonderful film festival — I couldn’t have asked for a better...
Is my film Experimental?
Many filmmakers struggle with where to place their film when it doesn’t follow traditional storytelling rules. Narrative? Documentary? Music video?...
In Need of Seawater – Film Review
Directed by Richard Yeagley WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS! In Need of Seawater is a film that draws you in...
Bad Timing – Film Review
WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS! Directed by Lenni Uitto and Musa Ali Aden, Bad Timing is one of those short...
City in Observation – Film Review
WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS! Inspired by the Croatian filmmakers of the 1960s and ’70s, City in Observation (directed by...
Passion vs. Tradition: Inside the Story of ‘Fili’
Fili Tanuvasa, a recent graduate torn between following his father's footsteps in football or pursuing his hidden passion for acting,...
A closer look at ARTIFEX
Artifex takes audiences on a journey where history, myth, and the supernatural collide. Set to premiere at the Utah International...
Exploring Loneliness, Connection, and Humanity in “Animal”
Ethan Hawkins, a filmmaker known for his character-driven sci-fi stories, takes audiences on a deeply emotional journey with co-director Taylor...
The Purple Glasses: A Nostalgic Journey Back to 80s Middle School Friendship
"The Purple Glasses," a film crafted from the memories of director Susan Sullivan, brings to life the essence of middle...
Marketing Strategies for Indie Filmmakers
Marketing an independent film on a shoestring budget can be difficult, but many filmmakers have found creative ways to build...
Filmmaker – Spencer Fackrell
Premiering my feature film at the Utah International Film Festival was an unforgettable experience. The festival team worked hard to...
Filmmaker – Rachid Ait
An absolutely beautiful festival full of excitement. The passion that Dora and the entire UIFF team put into this is...
Volume 7 – Film Review
Directed by Panos Pappas & Despina Charalampous WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS! The future has always fascinated me—not just as...
What we imagined – Film Review
Directed by Shubhavi Arya WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS! Every so often, a short film sneaks up on me and...
Utah Enters the Vertical Drama Space
The Utah film community is on a new frontier of storytelling with the release of The Billionaire’s Secret Heir, now...
Bring the Movies to Your Town
The Utah International Film Festival is taking independent cinema on the road! Our Rural Film Screenings program brings award-winning short...
The Call – Film Review
WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS! Death may be the only certainty in this world, yet we are never truly prepared...
“A Perfect Fit” Brings UIFF Alumni Together in Magical Short Film
HELPER, UT – The whimsical short film A Perfect Fit, featuring Elijah Amodt and Charla Bocchicchio, is set to captivate...
The Random Guest – Review
There’s a beautiful, unsettling mystery to the way lives intersect. We are taught that no encounter is an accident, that...
Pie In the Sky – Review
There are films that tell a story, and then there are films that invite you into a dream. They are...
UIFF Brings Distributors to Filmmakers
For every filmmaker, the journey doesn't end when the final cut is locked. The real challenge, and the ultimate goal,...
Chekhov.Offstage – Film Review
I’ll be honest, when I saw we had a 40-minute Russian documentary about a theater submitted to the festival, I...
Seeds of Sovereignty – Film Review
Living in Salt Lake, you get used to a certain way of life. We've got the mountains in our backyard,...
Unlock Your Film’s Potential
Listen Here Unlock Your Film's Potential: A Data-Driven Look at the Utah International Film Festival Selections Filmmakers, are you ready...
6 Tips Your Short Needs to Get into a Film Festival
Listen Here You poured your heart and soul into a short film, right? Awesome! Now, how do we get that...
The Things We Don’t Talk About – Film Review
Adolescence might be a distant memory for some of us, and adulthood's got its own set of curveballs, but it...
Mary Chris Max – Film Review
Spring might be wrapping up here in Utah, and summer's just around the corner, but it ain't ever a bad...
Stranded – Film Review
You can tick all the boxes, a good education, maybe even a fancy degree, get yourself a successful career –...
UIFF Gets Even BIGGER
Forget Sundance, Utah's true indie powerhouse, the Utah International Film Festival, marks 15 years by launching its most ambitious, filmmaker-focused...
A Congress of Crows – Film Review
Do you love crime thrillers and get fascinated by what makes killers tick? Ever get that urge to understand the...
Rules of Living – Film Review
How often do we pause and genuinely ask ourselves, "How am I really doing?" Can we look back on life...
‘The Nature of Death’ Film Review
Nature has a profound way of showing her beauty. It's more than just what our eyes see; it’s how it...
Does Film Festival Networking Actually Lead to Paid Gigs?
We've all heard the pitch, right? Film festivals are the place to be. Rub elbows with industry pros! Network your...
Big Perks of Small Film Festivals
Let’s talk festivals. You’ve wrapped your indie and now you’re dreaming of Sundance, TIFF, or Cannes, picturing your film wowing...
Make Films That Matter (to You)
Alright, future Spielberg, let’s have a heart-to-heart before you dive headfirst into making your masterpiece. Before you even think about...
The Second Coming Act. 1: The New for the Old
WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS! "The Second Coming Act. 1: The New for the Old" is a resonant cinematic experience...
Filmmaker – Alexandra Christensson
It was such a great experience to screen my film So Much for Solidarity at UFF! The festival was so...