Utah Film Center Rounds Out Program With Feature and Short Films, Special Guests, and New Teen Track For 2017 Damn These Heels Festival
Program Will Present 23 Feature Films and 9 Short Films From 18 Countries
That Explore LGBTQ Issues and Ideas
Salt Lake City, UT - Utah Film Center announced today two late addition feature films, nine short films, special guests, and a new teen track for the 14th annual Damn These Heels Film Festival. Damn These Heels will run July 14–16, 2017 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center and is a celebration of independent, documentary, and foreign films from around the world that explore LGBTQ issues, ideas, and art. Passes and individual tickets are now on sale on the Utah Film Center’s website.
New Teen Track:
Utah Film Center is committed to drawing people of all ages to independent film and in that spirit they have partnered with Utah Pride Center’s Youth Activity Center, Encircle, and UMOCA’s Out Loud Workshop to engage a group of youth advisors to help serve as a sounding board for films that resonate with 14–20 year olds. LGBTQ youth often experience many challenges, especially in Utah, of how others respond to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Utah Film Center’s goal is to use the power of film to give greater attention to these challenges, build on strengths, and create a safe and affirming environment for LGBTQ youth.
Plus teens now have new ticketing options to make Damn The Heels accessible for younger viewers. The five films selected by the youth advisory team will be part of the new Youth Pass that allows teens access to those age-appropriate films. The discounted $10 Youth Pass includes a ticket to screenings of Free Cece, Handsome Devil, I Dream In Another Language, Raising Zoey, and Small Talk, plus many of the benefits of the other Festival passes including discounts at local restaurants, daytime access to the DTH lounge, and a free 4-day GREENbike pass. In addition to the Youth Pass films, the committee has also placed their teen approved seal on the following Festival films: Apricot Groves, Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall, Chavela, Don't Call Me Son, Heartstone, and Political Animals.
The New Feature Added to the Damn These Heels Line Up Are:
Apricot Groves / Armenia (Director: Pouria Heidary Oureh)
Aram, an Iranian Armenian youth who immigrated to the U.S. in childhood, returns to Armenia for the first time to propose to an Armenian girlfriend he met and lived with in the United States.. Utah Premiere
Official Selection: 2017 Outfest
Play the Devil / Trinidad and Tobago (Director: Maria Govan)
Set against the backdrop of Trinidad and Tobago's mystical Carnival, a gifted and struggling young man becomes the object of intrigue for an older, well-meaning businessman until their worlds collide. West Coast Premiere
Official Selection: 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival
The New Short Films Added to the Damn These Heels Line Up Are:
Dusk / UK (Director: Jake Graf)
A visceral portrait of Chris Winters' life facing hatred and discrimination in cis-gendered, heterosexual 1950's England. Half-remembered, half-fantasized, full of love and loss.
Handsome Girl / USA (Director: Matthew Smith)
A story in the age of Snapchats and Tinder swipes. Two friends travel from Los Angeles to Berlin to launch their new musical project, Handsome Girl. In Berlin, anything can happen and usually does, but will their friendship survive?
I've Lost My Taste For Yogurt / USA (Director: Katy Lueck)
A film adaptation of a poem exploring the moment you taste something distinct and are snapped back to a vivid memory, all the images and associations with it.
Lucy / UK (Director: Melinte Reitzema)
Imagine being born in the wrong body. Everyday you're fighting. Against society, stigma and yourself. All you want is acceptance. Lucy's story is one of searching for her true self in a world that's not quite ready.
Mock Identity / USA (Director: Megan Aubry)
Created as part of Spy Hop’s 2016 Reel Stories program by student Megan Aubry, Mock Identity examines drag performances as a means of social commentary.
Post Apocalyptic Potluck / USA (Director: Guinevere Turner)
Three lesbian women gather for a potluck just as the world is coming to an end.
Queens Mile / UK (Director: Martin Delaney)
London’s Southbank. A twenty something girl wanders with her Polaroid camera and a collage book. Queen’s Mile is a heartwarming story of a young woman’s courage in coping with depression, in her own unique way.
Sisak / India (Director: Faraz Arif Ansari)
Sisak follows the story of two gay men in Mumbai who meet and fall in love in regular train journeys. Burdened with the larger social (and legal) scorn the two are unable to say anything to each other.
Still Devout / USA (Director: Melissa Perez)
An anxious 22 year old must choose between romantic love and the needs of her family.
Special Guests Attending Damn These Heels are:
Behind The Curtain: Todrick Hall
Director Katherine Fairfax Wright will be in attendance for a guided post-film discussion.
Free CeCe
Local family law, criminal defense, and LGBTQ advocacy attorney Chris Wharton will be in attendance for a post-film discussion.
God’s Own Country – presented in partnership with Sundance Institute
Actor Alec Secareanu and Director of the Sundance Film Festival, John Cooper will be in attendance for a post-film discussion.
Raising Zoey
Director Dante Alencastre and the subject mom’s, Ofelia Barba will be in attendance for a post-film discussion.
The films previously announced can be found on the Utah Film Center’s website. Film stills for all announced films can be found in the Utah Film Center Press Images folder.
2017 Damn These Heel LGBTQ Film Festival is made possible by the support of our sponsors including Dancing Llama Foundation, Terence Kearns Stephens Charitable Fund, B.W. Bastian Foundation, Equality Utah, and Bill Stern.
Post film Q&A and event images from the 2016 Festival can be found on the Utah Film Center Facebook page.
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Utah Film Center
Utah Film Center inspires and engages diverse audiences to initiate conversation and community building through curated film exhibition, educational programs, and artist support. We continually strives to bring our community together through the powerful and efficient medium of film. Utah Film Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more information visit http://www.utahfilmcenter.org/.
