Partner Event: West Valley Pride

Location: Utah Cultural Celebration Center

West Valley City is thrilled to announce the return of West Valley Pride, a vibrant celebration of love and community. This event will provide a welcoming space for residents and visitors to come together, learn, and enjoy a day filled with entertainment, resources, and fun.

Whether you’re a longtime advocate or new to Pride, this event offers something for everyone—live performances, delicious food, local vendors, and interactive art experiences. More than just a celebration, this event is a reflection of the unique culture of West Valley City—a diverse, dynamic community where people from all backgrounds come together to create something truly special. Join us as we make history and honor the unity, pride, and progress of West Valley City!

The Artist Foundry is proud to partner with West Valley Pride to present a collection of short films by local LGBTQ+ filmmakers during their Pride celebration.

Featured films include:

Ripple directed by Jacob Norris

Dusk directed by Kohl Avalos Bybee

Grounded directed by Andy Whipple

My Name is _____ directed by Aria Gunter

Read more about the filmmakers below!

Andy Whipple

Andy Whipple is a trans-masculine filmmaker who makes animations focusing on LGBT+ individuals, mental health, and environmentalism. Their film “Grounded” was screened at the Utah Queer Film Festival in 2024. Their most recent project was “Finding Light: Salt Lake City Two-Spirit Stories,” focusing on the experiences of Two-Spirit people living in Salt Lake City and the contrast from white transgenderism. When not making films, they can often be found outside gardening.

Jacob Norris

Growing up in Ephraim, Utah, Jacob Norris has been making films for as long as he can remember. All it took was an iPad mini and iMovie to get started. He has always had an awe for the way that movies can so strongly make a person feel a wide range of emotions. Now studying filmmaking at Southern Utah University he hopes to do just that. Going into his senior year, Jacob has been working on his thesis film “Ripple”, a short he hopes grabs viewers and helps them feel what made him fall in love with film in the first place.

Kohl Bybee

Kohl is a Latin American filmmaker from Mesa, Arizona. He is known for his film Dusk, as well as his contributions to several other Utah film productions.

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