LDS Film Festival opens this year at SCERA theater

OREM — Now in its fifth year, the LDS Film Festival will shift from an emphasis on film shorts to a feature film event when it opens Jan. 18 at the SCERA Theater.

"That was unthinkable four years ago," founder and president Christian Vuissa said.

The festival, which began at the Provo City Library, switched from November to January two years ago, to line up with the Sundance Film Festival, he said. Film screenings were held at the University Mall Cinemas, but now are scheduled for the SCERA. Also new this year are opening and closing films, workshops and a film fair.

Next year the festival will open a venue in Park City to show Latter-day Saint-genre feature films.

Vuissa, a 2002 Brigham Young University film graduate and native of Austria, produced, co-wrote and directed the popular LDS comedy, "Baptists at Our Barbecue." In addition to presenting LDS feature films, the festival will continue its 24-hour filmmaking festival. Filmmakers are given 24 hours to create a short film.

Filmmakers who have submitted short movies in the past include Jared Hess, Ryan Little and Andrew Black — before they moved on to make the cult classics "Napoleon Dynamite," "Saints and Soldiers" and "Pride and Prejudice."

Although feature-length films are shown, the short film competition remains as the heart of the festival, Vuissa said.

Last year's winner was Marcus Cano, producer of "American Made," which also won at festivals nationwide, he said. The winning script, "Strawberries of Eldritch," came from Kohl Glass, a BYU film graduate. The script is now being made into a film, Vuissa said.

While the stories in the film may be religious, it's not a criteria. But entries should show intelligence, spirituality, originality, integrity and technical excellence, he said.

Films may be dramas, animations, documentaries or experimental. Prizes total $2,000 for the best films and screenplays, including $1,000 that will go to the winner of the best short film.

Last year nearly 2,400 people attended the festival, which featured more than 30 events. The festival screened more than 80 short films and had 12 presentations by known filmmakers.

The LDS film festival concludes Jan. 21.

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