Utah proud and Utah loud. These short films by local filmmakers highlight the rapidly increasing queer community of our state. Put a little jive in your beehive and celebrate your world.
This event features a pre-film dance performance by Steven Salabsky.
Films:
Be by Claire Timothy
Claira left her lifelong religion after realizing her place in it was jeopardized by her sexuality. Lucas attempted suicide after feeling pressure from others to conform. Mira got a glimpse of a relationship that never was because of societal expectations. Each one of their stories carry themes of resilience, uncertainty, and ultimately hope. They share their experiences in an effort to show other young queer people that they are not alone. That their sexuality is valid, real, and doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but themselves.
Dizzy by Sam Everett
Dizzy is a story about struggling to fit in, facing rejection, and finding belonging through chosen family. It speaks to anyone who has felt different, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. The film’s message is simple but powerful: acceptance and understanding can lead to healing.
Embalmed by Ryan Margetts
With themes of class-consciousness emerging throughout their catalog over the past year, It should be no surprise to fans of SLC nonbinary art-pop act Die Shiny that their latest music video tackles revolutionary rage with a sharp tongue and in stunning androgynous fashion. “Embalmed” is an anti-capitalist anthem, darkly depicting the elite ruling class motive of profiting from every part of the human life cycle.
Freedom Dreaming by Merel Noorlander
A journey through fluid water, flowery, and bodily landscapes of pleasure and pain meandering through domestic and public spaces. Erotic queer energy through a political lens, being made ecological as non-normative storytelling.
Greenware: My Queer Clay Body by Rae Ann Luebbert
Greenware: My Queer Clay Body is an experimental short film exploring the abundant queerness of clay and its relationship to the moving body.
The Mascot by Delaney Plant
Charlie Bird rose to fame as Brigham Young University’s viral mascot, only to reveal a deeper truth beneath the mask—navigating life as an openly gay member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church that both celebrates and excludes him. The Mascot explores the intersection of the LGBTQ+ community and the LDS Church through the lens of Charlie Bird. While some view Charlie as an example of how queer individuals can be accepted within the Church, others see his acceptance by Church leadership as special treatment that contradicts the teachings and doctrine given by its highest authorities.
The Red Book by Jack Hessler & Brian Durkee
Something is missing in Dr. Graham’s life. When a patient unexpectedly shows up at his house, they have a peculiar conversation that makes Dr. Graham question his own morals.
Virtual by Alfonso Belloso
When Dolly stumbles upon a virtual reality game, she’s shocked to find her best friend, Mary, inside it—now, obsessed and drawn deeper into the digital world, Dolly must risk her sanity to uncover the truth.
We’ve Come a Long Way by Edgar Flores
We’ve Come a Long Way is a touching short documentary centered on intimate conversations with senior members of the Salt Lake LGBTQ+ community. The film beautifully explores how the universal human need to express one’s true identity serves as a powerful unifying force, transcending individual differences and fostering connection.
