Red Rock Film Festival


Red Rock Film Festival is an international film festival in Southern Utah in the United States. Held annually in November, in St. George, Ivins, and Springdale by Zion National Park, the festival introduces the area to new international and US independent film. The festival has competitions for both documentaries and narrative fiction features and shorts.

History

The Red Rock Film Festival began in Southern Utah in 2004 as a film series Zion Flix founded by commercial director Matt Marxteyn, which evolved from a film festival for college students in 1991 with founding member Derek Horne. Zion Flix was held in the OC Tanner Amphitheater in Springdale, Utah with sell-out crowds on both opening and closing nights. The festival became official known as an annual event called the Red Rock Film Festival in 2007. By 2009 the Red Rock Film Festival was cited by MovieMaker Magazine on their 2009 list of "25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee." Premieres at the festival have included the US premiere of Sultanes del Sur and Mark of Cain and the pre-release preview of Forever Plaid – The Movie.

Categories

Besides the Special Screenings held out of competition, the festival hosts both Documentary and Narrative Fiction competitions for Features and Shorts with new categories for Animation Shorts and Featurette competitions introduced in 2009. The festival also includes a Young Filmmaker Shorts competition for students in grade school. Both Grand Jury and Audience awards are granted. Special Achievement awards are also rewarded to films that show excellence in a particular element of film making. The festival also created the "Aglet Awards" which are granted to the best films in competition that use creative means to produce a film with thrifty budgets.

Mission of the festival

The mission of the festival is "to encourage the production of media in both the independent and professional market that portray the human race in a positive light, and to applaud original works that redefine media through innovation, creativity and sensitivity that both enlightens and educates audiences from around the world."