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Competition

Artist Foundry 2026 Pitch Competition

May 29, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Location: Utah Film Center
Free

Get ready for the 3rd Annual Artist Foundry Pitch Competition! On May 29th, a selected group of filmmakers will take the stage to pitch their projects to a panel of industry professionals—and get real-time feedback in front of a live audience.

Top pitches will take home 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes that will help them get their projects off the ground. And we’re keeping things lively with an open-mic segment for rapid-fire elevator pitches.

Whether you’re a filmmaker eager to get your project noticed, a film enthusiast curious about the important stories being told in our community, or simply an audience member seeking creative inspiration, this event promises a fun and energetic night for everyone.

Our Top 8 Finalists:

Aaron Allsop: The Care Only We Know

Julia Freij: Me, If I Were

Jack Hessler: Charmane

Joshua Ijaika: Fuchsia

Johnathan Meier: Sky Mirror

Celene Beth Olsen: K*lling Theodore

Tommy Pepper: Nail Salon

Aydan Stewart: Community 2026

Prize Sponsors

CAMERAJACK is sponsoring our Grand Prize of $5,000 for 1st place and $3,500 for 2nd place winners in camera rental value.

Run by Jack Allred, Emmy winning cinematographer and Sundance Filmmaker alumnus, who has a love of films and uses that passion and expertise to provide camera rentals and support to filmmakers, turning creative visions into cinematic reality.

Emergence Films is sponsoring a Special Recognition Prize of $250 and a complimentary 1 hour production consultation to a filmmaker who identifies as female or gender-expansive for the pitch of that best aligns with their mission to shift the mindset around the way women conceptualize, make, distribute and market independent media.

Emergence Films is a female-focused organization, co-founded by Sienna Beckman and Rachel Noll James, and inspired by a vision of a more inclusive and community-driven creative practice. Their aim is to create a space where female-identifying and gender-expansive storytellers feel safe to be themselves and share their unique, vulnerable voices.

Cutthroat Grip, Lighting & Stage is sponsoring $300, $150, and $50 gift certificates towards gear rentals and crew support for all 3 placed winners. Cutthroat is here to support you — the filmmaker, photographer, or creative — every step of the way. 

Their mission is to provide a welcoming, professional space where ideas can thrive and productions can run smoothly. Cutthroat is more than just a studio. We’re a creative hub built for the Salt Lake City community — a place where photo, video, and film professionals can connect, collaborate, and create.

Salt Lake Film Society is sponsoring 3 Actor level memberships valued at $150 a year for all 3 placed winners. Salt Lake Film Society provides access to independent film, documentaries, and international film. SLFS is all about exhibiting, creating, and preserving cinematic experience at Broadway Centre Cinemas & the Historic Tower Theatre which SLFS have been hard at work on renovating and preparing to welcome a new generation of filmmakers and film lovers.

Pictureline is sponsoring $100 camera rental value for all 3 placed winners.

Based in Salt Lake City, Pictureline is a camera store that goes beyond just selling gear—Pictureline is a hub for photographers and creatives of all levels. With over 30 years of experience and a trusted reputation, they’ve grown into a team of 22 dedicated professionals who take pride in offering top-tier service and support.

From commercial photographers to passionate hobbyists, Pictureline is a place where the photography community comes together to learn, shop, and be inspired.

Utah Film Commission is sponsoring 3 copies of When Hollywood Came to Utah for all 3 placed winners. When Hollywood Came to Utah is a profusely illustrated history of moviemaking in Utah, from the early twentieth century to the present.

This book gives readers the inside scoop on how these films were made, what happened on and off set, and more. Author and film historian James V. D’Arc provides a wealth of trivial factoids for movie buffs, including anecdotes about the interactions of Utah locals with actors and crew.

Formed in 1974, the Utah Film Commission is part of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Utah Office of Tourism. Our mission is to promote the entire state of Utah for film, television and commercial production and foster the development of local talent, crew and industry.

RSVP
Markus Bishop-Hill

Markus Bishop-Hill, p.g.a. – member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy – is a Film/TV Producer originally from California, who made his debut in Utah when he brought the very first Hallmark Channel Original Christmas Movie to film in the state in 2014, titled Christmas Under Wraps. He continued to bring over a dozen cable television feature films to Utah, generating millions of dollars
of local spending between the years of 2014 and 2018.

In the midst of his cable TV career, he executive produced the award-winning Anthony Hopkins indie thriller Where Are You, alongside two-time Academy Award nominated cinematographer, Dante Spinotti, and spent 5 years in streaming television on Hulu’s Into The Dark (Seasons 1 & 2) and American Horror Stories (Seasons 1 & 2).

Since moving to Utah full time in 2024, Markus has been a part of the producing team for the Angel Studios hit movie and TV series, Homestead, which just wrapped production on its second season.

Tony Vainuku

Tony F. Vainuku is an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker whose work explores identity, faith, and masculinity within Polynesian and American communities. His documentary In Football We Trust premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won a News & Documentary Emmy. He later directed UNTOLD: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist for Netflix, chronicling the rise and fallout of Manti Te’o’s story.

Vainuku also directed the five-part Netflix docuseries Muscles & Mayhem: The Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators. He is currently developing his first narrative feature, Lame Nights, a coming-of-age crime drama set in Salt Lake City, with Jared Hess attached as Executive Producer. He recently wrote and directed the short film Finau, executive produced by Hess.

Virginia Pearce

Virginia Pearce is the Director of Utah Film Commission. Virginia Pearce has been the Film Commissioner for the state of Utah since 2014, after spending time at both Sundance Institute and Spy Hop Youth Media. Under her leadership, the Utah Film Commission has brought network television series and numerous award-winning projects to the state, creating over $800 million of new spending in the state.

Virginia has a passion for the many iconic locations in Utah and for nurturing new voices and has created a number of programs in the entertainment industry, including a low-budget incentive, workplace harassment policies, a workforce development program, and a new rural initiative.

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