Inaugural Film and Media Arts Festival for Teens Runs April 24-26

Utah Film Center, in partnership with Spy Hop and SHIFT, is launching the inaugural TiltShift Festival, a film and media arts festival organized and programmed by teens dedicated to presenting work for a teen audience. TiltShift is the first festival of its kind in Utah and runs April 24-26, 2015. The festival kicks off with an invitation-only Opening Night event at The Leonardo on April 24, film screenings and workshops will be held at the Salt Lake City Main Library April 25-26. Admission to all TiltShift films and workshops is free. For more information on scheduling, visit www.tiltshiftfestival.com. The full TiltShift Festival film and workshop lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.

Planning for the festival began in early January 2015 when the Utah Film Center and Spy Hop put out a call for applications from teens interested in being part of an organizing committee dedicated to shaping, planning and implementing the festival. From over 30 applicants, nine were selected to help program the film lineup and create interactive workshops, market the festival, and work on festival operations for the three-day event under the mentorship of Patrick Hubley and Carly Nelson, Utah Film Center, Josh Samson, Spy Hop and Kelly Schaefer, SchaeferDesign.

The 2015 TiltShift Festival Teen Committee members are Maddy Butler, Reagan Connell, Amber Dwyer, Alexis Hernandez, David Jenny, Dominique Klopefer-Sommerville, Georgia Peterson, Daela Tipton, and Ben Turok.

“We thought in order to create an interesting and engaging event for a teen audience we needed to have teen voices and perspectives represented in the planning process,” said Utah Film Center Artistic Director Patrick Hubley. “We have a great group of teens working with us and we’re excited to see it all come together.”

In addition to the films and workshops for teens, SHIFT is offering a free, intensive, three-hour workshop for middle school and high school educators to learn the essentials of how to integrate digital media arts and filmmaking into the classroom on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Interested teachers can apply at www.tiltshiftfestival.com.

Earlier this month, SHIFT and Spy Hop launched the six-week Adobe Youth Voices Film Camp where 10 teens with filmmaking experience are currently producing short films that will be presented as part of one of the short film programs during the festival.

The 2015 TiltShift Festival is generously sponsored by Catalyst Foundation, Adobe Youth Voices and Utah Film Commission. Additional support provided by the Salt Lake City Public Library and The Leonardo.

Utah Film Center

Utah Film Center brings the world of film to local audiences through free community screenings and discussions, outreach programs, and visiting artists and professionals. Emphasizing social content and artistic excellence, we present the best documentary, independent, and dramatic cinema year-round. We collaborate with various educational and community organizations to promote a diversity of ideas, to provide forums for underrepresented groups, and to develop new audiences for film. For more information call (801) 746-7000 or visit www.utahfilmcenter.org.

In addition to TiltShift, Utah Film Center presents two other film festivals annually. The 2015 Damn These Heels Film Festival will be held July 10-12, 2015 and the Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Children and Youth will be held September 25-27, 2015. The Utah Film Center screens 300 documentary, independent, and dramatic films per year. Over 80% of the film screenings are free and open to the public.

The Utah Film Center is generously sponsored by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts & Parks Program, and Zions Bank.

SHIFT

SHIFT (www.shiftworkshops.org) offers educators, K through 12, high quality training that supports innovative technology integration into classroom instruction. With the principles of filmmaking and digital storytelling as the foundation, SHIFT’s project-based workshops focus on technology training, lesson plan implementation, and effective pedagogy. Each year SHIFT partners with universities, state education offices, districts, individual schools, and community-based organizations to deliver proven professional development. Trainings occur in both pre-service and in-service settings, inspiring veteran and future educators alike.

Spy Hop

For over 15 years, Spy Hop has mentored Utah’s young people in the digital media arts as a vehicle for free expression, self-discovery, critical thinking and skilled participation. Our mission is to mentor young people in the digital media arts to help them find their voice, tell their stories, and be empowered to affect positive change in their lives, their communities, and the World.