For years, thousands of visitors have flocked to Park City in the dead of winter - not to ski, but to watch movies. And while in years past, most Utahns may have felt a bit left out of the excitement, there are two contenders in this year's Slamdance Film Festival 2003 for the hometown crowd to keep an eye on.
Andrew Black and Jared Hess, students at Brigham Young University, each directed short films that were accepted into the Slamdance short-film competition. Of a record-breaking 2,800 entries submitted, only 12 short films were selected for the competition. The two films are the first films made by Utah filmmakers to be accepted into the competition section of the festival.
The Slamdance Film Festival will be held Jan. 18-25 at The Treasure Mountain Inn at the top of Main Street in Park City, Utah.
"The Snell Show" is an eight-minute black comedy shot on 35mm. It depicts the annual celebration at Old Man Snell's trailer, where the local community gathers for the greatest show on earth. The satirical nature of this film is both timely and well aimed. "The Snell Show" will be showing Monday (Jan. 20) at 10 a.m. and Wednesday (Jan. 22) at 3:30 p.m. Visit www.thesnellshow.com for more information about the film.
Shot in just two days and made for less than $500, "Peluca" is Hess's second comedy short film. It follows a day in the life of Seth, a rural Idaho teenager whose interests include ninja books, unicorns and fanny packs.
When confronted with the decision to help a friend or help himself, Seth triumphs as a true hero. "Peluca" will be showing Monday (Jan. 20) at 8:30 p.m. and Thursday (Jan. 23) at 12:30 p.m. Visit peluca.net for more information about the film.
Writer: Elizabeth B. Jensen
