UPDATE: This survey is now closed. We will contact winners via email in the next week.
It’s that time of year… We need your help! We want you to tell us what you think you need and want from your movie-going experience, and how we might improve.
Help us out by filling out this Arthouse Survey by 10/23. Click on the link, fill it out, and you’ll be added to a drawing for $50 certificate and two $25 certificates:
At SLFS, we have always been proud of exhibiting thought-provoking films to our Salt Lake City community. And as members of this community and local film fans ourselves, the staff of SLFS have always cherished the opportunity to join in on the audience viewing experience. We asked Max Kunz, Theater Manager at Broadway Centre Cinemas, to share his experience watching Dune at the Broadway during our reopening in 2021.
The SLFS Dune Experience at Broadway Centre Cinemas
“As a staff member at Salt Lake Film Society, one of the things I like most about it is the commitment to serving the film loving community in Utah in unexpected ways. At the Broadway, we have six screens that supply a wide selection of arthouse and blockbuster cinema. Each screen is equipped with high-quality digital projection and Dolby theater surround sound systems, providing a unique high-quality entertainment experience you’d expect from the larger commercial branded theaters.
“I can appreciate even more how seeing a film like Dune in a real theater like the Broadway Centre Cinemas makes the experience exceptional.”
Max Kunz
A theater screening of Dune at Broadway Centre Cinemas
To connect our audience with the large supply of new films released, we have all of our theaters on a constantly shifting show schedule. This means that if a film has completed its standard theatrical run, we have the option to return that feature for an additional run, provided it is cleared by the studio. This flexibility in our booking allows SLFS to customize our film exhibitions for the needs of its community when a film gains some attendance traction after its initial run, or earns accolades from a film institution. An example of this custom exhibition presented itself to me this year through Dune.
I had unfortunately missed the initial theater run for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and didn’t think I’d get another chance to see it in the theater setting, which was how I had heard it was meant to be enjoyed. Luckily, the Broadway brought back the film after it was nominated for several Academy Awards and I was able to catch it!
Dune is the story of the noble family Atreides who is given stewardship of the planet Dune by their Emperor, but Dune is a harsh planet covered in desert and a special drug called spice. The story of the film follows young Paul Atreides who is wrapped up in the war, chaos, prescience, and death that the coveted spice from Dune brings to his family.
Kunz enjoying Dune in audiobook format
I was captivated by the stunning visuals and stellar performances in what was an all around very entertaining movie. In a film that deals with gigantic spaceships and an original soundtrack that shakes with them, the state of the art theatrical systems that are used to present films at Salt Lake Film Society created an extremely overpowering experience. I appreciated what an entirely different experience it was, compared to watching it at home on a laptop screen like I had been planning on doing prior to the re-screening (especially after such a long shutdown due to COVID-19).
Seeing Dune in this way influenced me to research the world that Frank Herbert had created; looking at Google I saw how long the saga was and YouTube videos ensnared me into its lore. Fully nerding out, I bought the books on Audible and have since listened to the story of the first three books in the six book series. Now a bonafide Dune fan, and having some insight into the scale of the story and its contents, I can appreciate even more how seeing a film like Dune in a real theater like the Broadway Centre Cinemas makes the experience exceptional.”
To see a list of our upcoming films and events, click here. To join our Red Carpet Club, or to learn more about RCC levels, discounts, and benefits, click here.
"While we don't have a reopening date yet, our goal is preservation of the Tower Theatre and also the neighborhood of 9th and 9th as a unique hub for neighbors and friends who support safe spaces for diverse communities to gather."
Here’s the full statement from our own Tori Baker, CEO & Executive Director at SLFS:
“Welcome to the 9th & 9th neighborhood and the Historic Tower Theatre. We are currently under renovation.
Salt Lake Film Society, your local nonprofit cinema organization, has a mission to EXHIBIT, CREATE, & PRESERVE the big-screen experience. Our amazing nonprofit staff is working with construction partners to reveal a renovated lobby, ADA improvements, and other upgrades.
While we don’t have a reopening date yet, our goal is preservation of the Tower Theatre and also the neighborhood of 9th and 9th as a unique hub for neighbors and friends who support safe spaces for diverse communities to gather.
Throughout 2022 we have been working on exterior repairs, including interior planning, drawings and design. We’ve also been committed to fund development, assessments and meetings with our 9th and 9th neighbors on neighborhood preservation ideas.
We are happy to report that the auditorium repainting, plus ceiling sound panels and video/DVD archive and library assessment are well under way. SLFS has received a pristine collection of 15,000 DVDs to add to our archive and will begin working on the vision for the archive’s return to the newly remodeled lobby.
While we are renovating, see curated films at our Broadway Centre Cinemas location, including traditional Tower programming such as Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tower of Terror, and the most innovative cinematic presentations of independent film in our state.”
You can be part of the preservation of the Tower as a Salt Lake Film Society Red Carpet Club subscriber or donor.
At Salt Lake Film Society, we absolutely adore cinema. Whether it’s an emotional independent film making the rounds at Cannes or an obscure cult-classic from the ‘80’s; our staff has an enduring and insatiable passion for movies, and the stories and visuals that define it as an art form. And this passion becomes even stronger when we get to watch these films on the big screen at the independent theaters we operate.
For our staff here at SLFS, we try our hardest to translate this passion into all the work we do for you, from the films we choose to exhibit, to the local film and cultural tours we are proud to host. But sometimes, we just love watching movies, and when we watch a movie we like, it’s nearly impossible for us to stay quiet about it.
It could be an unknown film from a first-time director, or a classic movie with a legendary cast that we are rediscovering; the members of our staff have watched plenty of good movies in 2022 so far, for business and for pleasure, and we can’t help but share some of our favorite picks with you, our dedicated supporters and patrons.
Salt Lake Film Society – Our Favorite Films We’ve Seen This Year
THE NORTHMAN – Tori Baker, President/CEO
“Robert Eggers composes a shot with a visceral punch that demands attention, screen size, and community viewing. It’s jaw-dropping in its pure mastery of editing, color pallet, and magic-imagery.”
FIRE OF LOVE – Marcie Collett, Associate Director of Development
“At its magmatic core, this is a love and adventure story that makes you believe that every oddball – even a volcanophile – has an oddball soulmate. Extraordinary footage and sound, especially on our Broadway big screen.”
Renate Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD – Rachel Getts, Associate Director of Digital Content
“Great take on the quarter-life crisis we all seem to have. Renate Reinsve is a star.”
BETTER NATE THAN EVER – Brandon Suisse, Associate Director of Development
“I don’t think a film has been more memorable or impactful for me this year than Everything Everywhere All at Once. But Better Nate than Ever had absolutely no business being as delightful as it was.”
LOST HIGHWAY– Stephen Simmons, Associate Director of Production
“The 4K restoration was like watching Lost Highway for the first time. Everything from the sound mix to the crisp visuals, this gorgeous transfer allows this dark and underrated masterpiece a breath of new life after 25 years.”
PETITE MAMAN – Ally Lantz, Theater Operations Manager
“Celine Sciamma is my favorite working director, she has this ability to beautifully depict the emotional complexities of human relationships. This one just feels like a warm hug.”
ALL MY FRIENDS HATE ME – Noah Hinton, Front of House Staff
“It was a thrill watching how fast someone’s life can be seemingly ruined through just words and innocuous actions.”
MAD GOD – Landon Adams, Theater Operations Manager
“An old testament nightmare willed into existence over thirty years. Horror has never looked so beautiful.”
EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE – Jesse Sindelar, Development Manager
“One of the most incredible human storytelling experiences I’ve seen from a movie. Loved the hotdog fingers. I’ve seen it 2 ½ times and I’ve cried 2 ½ times.”
Léa Seydoux, Viggo Mortensen, and Kristen Stewart in Crimes of the Future
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE – Susan Tive, Head of Development
“Cronenberg takes a dark and surprisingly humorous look at how the future might send artists looking inward to find the only blank canvas left.”
X – Patrick Charles, Theater Operations Manager
“Just a good old fashioned horror flick. Plus, Howard’s got the moves.”
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON – Amy Beth Aste, Head of Theater Operations
“The perfect little movie, the creativity is amazing. Leave it to a Shell to remind us to examine our community, question social media, and place importance on caring for our elders.”
OFFICIAL COMPETITION – Max Kunz, Theater Operations Manager
“While fitting the bill of an off-beat independent film, it also has a multi-layered commentary on the people who create those types of works. Cohn and Duprat tackle this story with a great, self-aware sense of the surreal nature of such projects.”
HAPPENING – Guy Wheatley, Head Projectionist
“A topical, French, period film about a girl struggling with illegalized abortion. It’s a horror as a well as a drama; the best kind of horror films reflect the anxiety of the times, and this one definitely counts as that.”
TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Abby Derrick, Front of House Staff
“It was just a good time. One of the best theater experiences I’ve had in a really long time.”
Art House Films in Salt Lake City – SLFS
Whether it was released this month or 30 years ago, the world of film is continuously providing an intense diversity of movies. This vast selection is a never-ending supply with the potential to engage the interests and intrigues of all types of individuals, including the wide range of tastes within our staff. And just like with every film we play at our independent theaters, we hope that these selections and suggestions help our patrons discover new films and novel stories that engage their minds and excite their hearts through the power of film.
Feel free to ask a staff member about their pick the next time you visit the Broadway or the Tower, and help us keep the discourse and discussion about film alive and well in Salt Lake City.
Hello and welcome to the first post of the Salt Lake Film Society blog! Whether you’re a long-time patron or a curious movie connoisseur looking for your fill of independent cinema, SLFS is proud to have provided the Salt Lake City community with reliable access to independent film for over two decades now.
The undertaking of our organization is to offer the Utah public consistent access to thought-provoking and socially-engaging films. Furthermore, our mission revolves around the power of film as a universal language, and how these visual stories prompt discussion, inspiration, and introspection in our local community. We are proud to provide physical spaces for film access in Salt Lake City through the Tower Theater and Broadway Centre Cinemas, and with this blog, we also want to create a digital space to further the discourse and dissemination about independent cinema.
Salt Lake Film Society: Home to Independent Film in Salt Lake City
We want to foster a more consistent connection with our fellow movie-goers, and showcase the people working behind the scenes at SLFS to create the experiences that you love. Whether you’re reading about the impactful viewing experiences of our members, or learning more about the films that educate and energize our staff, this blog plans to offer a variety of avenues for patrons, donors and staff alike to engage with our mission, and the visual stories that define it.
The Importance of Independent Film
Why independent films though? What about the film medium and the survival of independent theaters is so important to our community here in Salt Lake City?
“Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes”
Robert Altman
At SLFS, this quote from Robert Altman presents an ideology that exists at the core of why we do what we do. Movies are an indispensable form of entertainment; we love to be entertained. A thoughtful visual story on a big screen has the capacity to captivate our imagination like nothing else. Film lets us feel what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, if only for a brief moment, and the ability to live these vicarious “lifetimes” through cinema gives our minds the opportunity to break out from the ordinariness of everyday life and dip our toes into the extraordinary.
Tower Theatre, the oldest movie theater still operating in the Salt Lake Valley
We love to be entertained, but at the same time, we also like to be challenged, to be compelled to think, analyze, and learn. Film pairs human faces and feelings to the stories and experiences of our world. They are naturally inclusive, turning large, complex concepts into accessible, ubiquitous storylines that we can’t help but relate to. Film helps us open up our minds to an exchange of culture and ideas, especially when someone sees a film about a place or persons dissimilar to their own,
At SLFS, we work hard to curate programming that promotes this cultural and ideological exchange, whether it’s Norwegian romantic dramas (Worst Person in the World), or Macedonian horror stories (You Won’t Be Alone). We strive to play our part in the cultivation of a more compassionate and thoughtful community, and our mission aims to do this one film at a time.
Independent Theaters in Salt Lake City – Salt Lake Film Society
The independent theaters we operate seek to embody this diverse quality of independent film as well, a commitment we have established through our Never Zero pledge; we will never have an absence of programming that represents marginalized voices.
Broadway Centre Cinemas and the Tower Theater, as well as independent theaters around the world, have always made it their mission to exhibit as many of these captivating and trailblazing films as possible, and to get as many people to see them as possible. We don’t play the movies that will fill the most seats or make the most money. We want our Salt Lake City community to see films they’ve never heard of, engage with stories they’ve never experienced, and live a few lifetimes they’ve never even thought about.
So help us support the amplification of diversity and the introspection of your community. Join us for some big-screen entertainment, and leave feeling inspired, at Salt Lake Film Society.
To see a list of our upcoming films and events, click here. To join our Red Carpet Club, or to learn more about RCC levels, discounts, and benefits, click here.
