Utah Queer Film Festival Workshop – Queering the Filmmaking Process: An Intersectional Perspective

Location: Utah Film Center

We will explore how to infuse queer perspectives and approaches into every stage of filmmaking. This workshop is designed for filmmakers of all backgrounds who are eager to understand and apply concepts of queerness and intersectionality to their creative projects.

In this session, we’ll cover:

Defining Queerness in Film: Understand what it means to queer the filmmaking process and how to challenge traditional narratives and structures.
Intersectional Storytelling: Learn how to weave diverse identities and experiences into your stories, ensuring representation that reflects the complexity of real lives.
Interactive Exercises: Participate in creative exercises designed to help you reimagine your own projects through a queer and intersectional lens.

Whether you’re a seasoned filmmaker or just starting out, this workshop will provide you with the tools and inspiration to create films that are both innovative and inclusive. Let’s come together to redefine storytelling and create works that resonate with a diverse audience.

Marissa Lila

Marissa is a documentarian who produces and directs film and television in Thai and English. Their work centers the environment, spirituality, and queerness. In 2019 Marissa co-founded a production company that centers queer and BIPOC storytellers. Their current feature, Good Fire, is being completed with support from ITVS, California Humanities, Women Make Movies, and the Utah Film Commission. Marissa’s work includes: Fire Tender, which follows an Indigenous fire lighter as they heal their land and culture through ancient fire practices (National Geographic); Transmormon, which has garnered over 6 million online views and follows a Japanese-American trans woman and her devout Mormon parents (Artistic Vision award at the 2014 Big Sky Film Festival); and Scavenger, filmed in Marissa’s home country of Thailand, capturing the insights of a trash collector and his attempt to lift his family out of poverty (MountainFilm in Telluride).

Roni Jo Draper

Roni Jo Draper (Yurok), PhD is an enrolled member of the Yurok tribe from the village of Weitspus (Weitchpec) at the fork of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers in what is now considered Northern California. Her experience as a queer, Yurok woman, with knowledge of the acute pain of discriminatory practices and policies has influenced her writing and work as an educator, storyteller, and artist. Roni is an emeritus professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) where she taught courses in multicultural education and global women’s studies. Roni is the director and writer of the documentary film, FIRE TENDER and is currently in production on the feature length documentary WE ARRIVE WITH FIRE | NE-KAH NUUE’M MEHL MECH. Roni’s advocacy work includes serving as a board member of American Indian Services, former Board Chair of the ACLU of Utah, former Vice-president of PFLAG Provo/Utah county, former member of the National Board of the ACLU, and former Faculty Advisor of BYU USGA (Understanding Sexuality Gender and Allyship), an unofficial club for BYU students.

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