SLFS: Showing the Films You Love (As a Non-Profit), With Your Help

Posted on November 17, 2022November 17, 2022 by Jesse Sindelar

At Salt Lake Film Society, our love of cinema and belief in its power to entertain and engage our community drives the very purpose of our non-profit organization, and its mission. As a non-profit, we must make considerable and constant effort to raise the funds necessary to show the diversity of films you love on the big screen.

Our seven screens in two iconic neighborhood venues offer unique and wonderful arts experiences everyday of the year, not a small feat for a non-profit organization to accomplish. What many people may not realize is that the income from these venues covers less than ½ of our operating expenses. To bring you the best in independent, international and art house films, we must rely on the generosity of donations from compassionate and charitable film fans and art lovers like yourself.

We are well aware that every charitable organization and their mother is making requests for donations and support during this thanking and giving season. So instead of adding on to the pile, we just want to boast a bit about the unique impact and offerings SLFS provides to our community and suggest that after giving thanks on Thursday, and buying a few more things you probably don’t need on Friday and Monday, that you consider supporting your community’s access to independent film on Giving Tuesday (Donations on Giving Tuesday will be matched through a very generous donation from our Board Chair, Brian Rivette).

What Makes Salt Lake Film Society Special

still of Michelle Yeoh in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, a film screened at the non-profit organization, SLFS — Contributions from supporters like you is why we can screen amazing films like *Everything, Everywhere, All at Once*

As a non-profit organization, our operation of two theater venues with seven total screens is quite distinctive in the art house cinema world. Not to toot our own horn too loudly, but we humbly consider SLFS to be an expansive oasis in a cinematic desert. You would be hard pressed to find another independent theater that offers more screens than the Broadway in any other state in the country not named California or New York.

This somewhat unprecedented access to quality, independent film offerings is a key component to the growth and future of the SLFS mission. It is why we have been able to continually bring a wide variety of high-quality independent films to the Salt Lake City community for over two decades.

In all of this time, we have worked diligently to strengthen our community, and showcase incredible and inspiring visual stories to as many people and underserved communities as possible. No other theater in the state of Utah has:

- Screened as many independent films, international films, or films that represent marginalized voices (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, etc.)

- Provided as many free or dramatically reduced admissions to underserved populations and non-profit community partners

- Hosted as many culturally-focused film tours (FilmMexico, Czech, Masima, L’Chaim)

- Programmed more unique films that weren’t screened anywhere else in the state

Sign up for the Red Carpet Club today and get discounts on tickets, and concessions!

How You Can Help Our Non-Profit

These incredible and distinct venues enable the positive impact we make on our community. But as vital as they are to our operation and identity, we can’t rely entirely on them: less than ½ our annual expenses are covered by ticket and concession sales. Income generated from these venues is crucial to our organization’s ability to show independent film, but the fact of the matter is that we rely much more so on the contributions of generous people and organizations to keep our doors open and our projectors running.

So if you have any funds leftover after the indulgent, capitalist pursuit that always occurs in the days following Thanksgiving, we’d love for you to consider supporting independent cinema, by contributing to your local, non-profit art house theater! And there’s more than a few ways you can do this:

Red Carpet Club – One of the best ways to support SLFS (and support your access to independent cinema) is by becoming a member of our Red Carpet Club! Get discounts on tickets and concessions, and build up rewards to save even more, all while supporting your local art house cinema.

Gift Membership – Rushing to find a good last-second gift? Shopping for someone who wants experiences over items? Consider a Gift Membership to our Red Carpet Club! Give your loved ones even more reason to support independent film, and combine it with a concessions package to really deliver a memorable experience that everyone can enjoy.

Ask Your Employer to Sponsor – The Salt Lake City business community does a good job of looking out for each other, and we always love to make more connections! Bring up the idea of sponsorship with SLFS at the organization you work for, and be the first domino that helps your local independent theater receive local support in a big way.

Donate – Whether it’s a one-time add-on to your next ticket purchase or a recurring monthly donation through our Red Carpet Club program, every little bit helps! Your support is why we are able to do what we do, and whatever you can manage means more to us than you know. (But we’ll be sure to thank you many times over, with some sweet perks throughout the year.)

Support SLFS Today

If you enjoy the visual stories of independent film in friendly, locally-run venues, and you appreciate the passion and perspective SLFS provides to the Salt Lake City community, support us today. Take a real step to show that access to cinema matters to you. Support Salt Lake Film Society this holiday season and enjoy great cinema all year long.

To join our Red Carpet Club, click here.

To purchase a Gift Membership, click here.

To learn more about sponsorship with SLFS, click here.

To make a donation, click here. And if you would like to see your donation matched, all donations given on Giving Tuesday, November 29th, will be matched through a generous donation from our Board Chair, Brian Rivette.

Sing With Maria: Sound Of Music

Posted on October 24, 2022November 12, 2022 by Rachel Getts

Join us for the return of our most beloved holiday tradition, Sing with Maria: SOUND OF MUSIC. This family-friendly, holiday extravaganza screening will include a pre-show hosted by a talented emcee, costume parade and contest (audience vote!) for both the adults who love to dress up and the kids who participate. All children who dress up win a candy prize.

THREE SHOWS ONLY!

Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 pm

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 pm & 6:30 pm

$20 per ticket. Tickets on sale soon!

Admission includes prop bag, and sound of music collectable button and sticker. Please no outside props allowed.

A 20 minute official intermission will take place approximately 3/4 of the way through the film that includes complimentary tea and “biscuits” (shortbread cookies) for all audience members.

This fun tradition is not to be missed, and SLFS is proud to once again bring this show to our community.

DISCLAIMER:

By purchasing a ticket for or participating in any Sing With Maria event planned and controlled by Salt Lake Film Society, you agree to the following:

Salt Lake Film Society Sing With Maria events are provided with no warranty either express or implied. The Organizers, including but not limited to the Staff, Board, Advisory, Volunteers, Cast, and Sponsors, of Salt Lake Film Society Sing With Maria events assume no liability for any loss, theft, damage, trauma, triggering complaints or injury to property or persons, including death, whether arising in contract, negligence, equity, or otherwise.
You assume all risks when participating in Salt Lake Film Society Sing With Maria events. All participants must use care and good judgment and must obey all rules and regulations and code of conduct of Salt Lake Film Society. You will comply with all requests made by employees or volunteers or contracted staff of Salt Lake Film Society and its representatives. You must obey all laws of the State of Utah. Salt Lake Film Society reserves the right to eject any participant who does not comply with the terms of this section. Ejected participants will not be entitled to a refund or any further recourse.
You will defend, indemnify and hold harmless Salt Lake Film Society and its organizers, directors, employees, consultants, agents, affiliates for any and all legal actions arising out of participation in Salt Lake Film Society Sing With Maria events. You further agree to pay all legal fees incurred by Salt Lake Film Society that arise due to this agreement.
You give Salt Lake Film Society authorization to use and post any photographs, videotapes, recordings or any other record of our events, before during or after the event for promotional use, at any area of our event venues, reporting to the media and to publish on our website or blog. You will not be entitled to any compensation for Salt Lake Film Society’s use of your name or image.
Refunds for any reason will be at the discretion of Salt Lake Film Society.
Salt Lake Film Society reserves the right to exclude anyone from becoming a Salt Lake Film Society participant should they choose not to accept this Agreement.

How Films Make Us Feel Emotion

Posted on October 6, 2022October 6, 2022 by Jesse Sindelar

Written by

Jesse Sindelar

While some folks might not readily admit to it, many of us have cried while watching a movie. These could be tears of sadness for the looming passing of the family dog in Marley and Me, or of exultation during scenes of joyous reunion and relief at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. For many people, (cinephiles and non-cinephiles alike), there is at least one movie scene at some point which has overwhelmed them with an acute wave of emotion.

For many, the iconic ending of It’s a Wonderful Life is a guaranteed tear-jerker

The stories that film tells and the immersive way it tells them have always had a capacity to foster our sympathetic and empathetic tendencies, help us grow emotionally, and connect more with others. Whether you watch a documentary about human suffering thousands of miles away or a narrative that reveals the less than evident truths about your own life, watching a film can be emotional, and that is a good thing. How does film do this and what exactly about the art of film makes us feel the emotions we do when we watch?

This powerful quality of film sits at the heart of why we love it here at SLFS, and why we are committed to providing access to independent film to our community. We are proud to show a wide variety of independent films that help our patrons not just think, but also feel. The more we can understand and discuss this emotive-inducing power of film, the better all of us in our community can be at engaging with the diverse and thought-provoking benefits of cinema.

Independent Film = Your Brain On Empathy

Emotions are a vital aspect of the storytelling ability that a movie has. Emotions are also vital characteristics of the larger human experience; they are a fundamental part of what makes us sentient, complex creatures. In the modern age of scientific research and medical technology, emotions can be more precisely defined and measured through brain scans of our neural networks and what we know about the different chemicals that our brains release to cause emotional states. And as it turns out, movies are more than capable of inducing and effecting these states.

Humans are naturally empathetic beings; when we see or hear something sad, we are likely to feel sad. When we watch a story on the big screen, we automatically generate some investment in the characters. The way we absorb their depicted plights and decisions often invests us in an emotional cinematic reality, even if we are not directly experiencing the situations in question.

There are countless studies that demonstrate a link between storytelling and empathy, but it also doesn’t take a scientific study to know that movies offer one of the more effective forms of storytelling in human history. In fact, film is so effective at inducing empathy and emotion in people, it is used by researchers as a method to actually induce emotions in subjects, in order to study the brain simultaneously as they feel them.

Different neural networks activate different types of empathy in research participants who watched an intense scene from Black Swan

For neuroscience researchers like Talma Hendler at Tel Aviv University in Israel, movies offer a useful tool to study how emotions fluctuate in real time and what’s going on in the brain when we feel certain ways. Hendler and her team have been investigating neural networks in the brain and their role in empathy, and have found evidence for two types of empathy. Mental empathy, when people step outside of themselves to think about what another person is thinking or experiencing, and embodied empathy, more of an in-the-moment internalization and adoption of an experience and its emotions.

It’s hard to say which type of empathy an audience member might be feeling during a specific scene, whether they are understanding the rationale and perspective of a character’s feelings, or more acutely feeling the character’s feelings themselves. But one thing is for sure; the empathetic storytelling that film is capable of can play with our emotions like few other forms of media can.

Playing With the Audiences Emotions

As much as there is to understand about the science of why film makes us feel emotion, what about the techniques behind filmmaking itself? How do filmmakers shape their narrative and use all the storytelling tools at their disposal to make us feel?

When filmmakers are crafting shots and dialogue, and considering how to tell the story of the scene, while they might not be contemplating the science of neural networks or the difference between mental and embodied empathy, their attention towards the emotions of their audience is quite purposeful.

“We’re always thinking about how to get into an emotional state, moment by moment, and how to bring as much of the audience along with us,” said Darren Aronofsky, acclaimed director of psychological dramas like Black Swan, Mother!, and The Wrestler in a Wired 2014 interview. It could be through stunning visual perspectives of proper cinematography, swelling crescendos of an orchestral soundtrack, or a well-written line acted and delivered to perfection; filmmakers craft their scenes and visual storylines with concentrated intent of making their audience feel.

Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence in Mother!, another psychological horror film from the mind of Darren Aronofsky

As much as the artistry of a film and its filmmaker plays a big role in this, there are also other psychological aspects of film that naturally contribute to the keen emotions that many moviegoers feel when they watch on the big screen. According to professor of psychology at Washington University, Jefferey Zachs, mimicry and music play vital roles in the emotions that film can make us feel.

“[Our brains] say that it’s a good idea to mimic the visual input that we’re seeing…if you watch somebody in the theater and there’s a smiling face filling the screen, most of the audience is going to pop a little bit of a smile…In film, a filmmaker has the opportunity to integrate those things very tightly. They can control exactly what’s shown of the face, and what else is present [on the screen].”

In regards to music in film, Zachs says the type and the timing also play a big role in inducing emotion. Sad moments in movies use slow music composed in a minor key to hammer home the sad things they depict. Minor key music can induce the same kind of sad feelings that we feel when we see people cry or watch bad things happen to people. “You put all those things together and it’s just taking the mechanisms that we encounter in real life and just really pushing all the buttons at once.” Zachs concluded.

Independent Films in Salt Lake City – SLFS

At Salt Lake Film Society, the emotional power of visual storytelling is at the heart of the impact we make in our community. Whether it’s anecdotal or based in scientific research, there is consistently reaffirmed evidence that a compelling visual narrative can alter our brain’s chemistry. Films can make us feel, in a way that is strangely close to how we might feel if we were actually living these emotional experiences ourselves.

This invaluable form of sharing an emotional connection with others reinforces the unique and underrepresented voices inherent in our independent film programming. This pairing helps cultivate an introspective and compassionate arts experience for the entire community, a process that SLFS has proudly been a part of for over 21 years. So come join us for an independent film at Salt Lake Film Society, and maybe you too can be a part of an emotional experience bigger than yourself.

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.

Donate Now

Arthouse Audience Survey

Posted on September 19, 2022October 24, 2022 by Rachel Getts

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:

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7002524/Salt-Lake-Film-Society

Thank you so much for taking your time to fill this out. SLFS is looking for ways to continue bringing the best in cinema to SLC.

SLFS Staff: My Experience Watching Dune at the Broadway

Posted on September 8, 2022September 15, 2022 by Jesse Sindelar

Edited by

Jesse Sindelar

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.

Donate Now

Tower Theatre Update Fall 2022

Posted on August 25, 2022August 26, 2022 by Rachel Getts

"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."

Tori Baker, CEO & Executive Director at SLFS

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.

SLFS Board: Sarah E. S. Sinwell and the Pursuit of Art House Cinema

Posted on August 25, 2022August 25, 2022 by Jesse Sindelar

Written by

Jesse Sindelar

In any non-profit organization, the Board of Directors plays a vital role in planning for funding, growth, and subsequently helping achieve their mission. At Salt Lake Film Society, our Board embodies the organization’s passion for film and art house cinema, and they are deeply committed to our mission of educating, advocating, and informing about –and through– cinema.

For local cinephile and vice-chair of the SLFS Board, Sarah E. S. Sinwell, this commitment to film and independent cinema started long before she ever heard of Salt Lake Film Society. “My family were always big film lovers growing up; I’ve been watching movies with them and going to art houses my whole life.” However, it wasn’t until college when she truly discovered her passion, not just for film, but for analyzing the art and the industry of independent cinema.

“I was studying to be a diplomat, taking political science classes and the like. In my sophomore year, I missed out on my first choice for a seminar, and the seminar I ended up taking was my first film class. When I graduated, I tried being a production assistant, made a few short films, but I soon realized that I would much rather analyze film than make it.”

Educating Through Art House Cinema Analysis

Sinwell became a member of the SLFS Board of Directors in 2015

When she moved to Utah in 2015, Sinwell continued her cinema journey by joining the Department of Film and Media Arts at the University of Utah as an assistant professor. Now an associate professor, she has applied her devotion to art houses and film analysis through teaching, and writing books and scholarly articles.

It didn’t take long for her art house cinema expertise and the mission of Salt Lake Film Society to align. “When I moved here, Kevin Hanson (SLFS board member and colleague at the U) immediately told me, ‘You need to meet Tori [Baker], and you need to be a part of the Film Society’, and I was invited to join [the Board] just a few months after that.”

Unsurprisingly, Sinwell’s initial interactions with Salt Lake Film Society were as a patron. “I’m a huge cinephile, I write about art houses, I write about independent films, I write about feminist and queer filmmaking, and the Broadway and the Tower are the places to go to see the best independent films in town, and the best independent films internationally, so I was pretty excited about even attending a film at the Tower/Broadway.”

For Sinwell, being a member of the SLFS Board was also an important part of her personal introduction to Utah, and the Salt Lake City film scene. “It was my first time living/moving here, so [joining the SLFS Board] was a big part of my learning about Utah, and about film culture in Utah.”

“People are seeking out the theater experience, because they’ve missed it. I was at the reopening of the Broadway in 2021, and my friends and I kept saying ‘This is the experience we have been missing’”

She was able to further supplement her studies, writings, and analysis of art houses and independent cinemas, because what better way to learn how an art house works than by being a part of one? “Being a part of the board has really taught me all about the in’s and outs of how non-profits and art houses work. I had no idea, for instance, how much a popcorn popper actually costs.” Sinwell said.

“I’ve really been involved, not just in the Film Society, but in thinking about the state of the art house at the moment when streaming is becoming more popular, and knowing this [type of] institution from the inside is invaluable to understanding the challenges that many art houses face” Sinwell continued.

Enjoying Independent Film At SLFS

The reciprocal relationship between Sinwell’s educational pursuits and her experience on the SLFS Board is an important part of her impact on the Salt Lake City film scene. But like any fan of independent film, nothing really compares to the personal enjoyment of watching an engaging and thought-provoking visual story on the big screen. For Sinwell, watching Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady On Fire at Broadway Centre Cinemas offered this type of unforgettable viewing experience.

“I saw Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) for the first time at the Broadway. Sciamma is one of my favorite directors, and I wanted to show it to everyone. I liked it so much, I saw it again, and the second viewing was the last film I saw in a theater for two years after COVID shutdown the Broadway” Sinwell remembered.

For those who have seen it, the lasting impression of Sciamma’s critically acclaimed film would be memorable even without the subsequent lockdown that occurred due to COVID-19. But it was the theater experience, and the insights and discussions with her friends afterwards that truly cemented Sinwell’s experience as noteworthy.

“One of these [POLOF] viewings was a sneak preview I went to with some friends and colleagues, and it was so inspiring. My colleague who studies music talked to me about some really interesting things the film does with music and sound, and I used aspects of femininity and ‘gaze’ from the film in my Queer Media class that I teach.”

Supporting the Community Role of Art House Cinema

As someone who has experienced the profound nature of the independent theater viewing experience first-hand, Sinwell is well aware of how important art houses are to their local communities, especially as COVID restrictions are lifted. “For many people, watching movies was their pandemic lockdown activity. Now, people are seeking out the theater experience, because they’ve missed it. I was at the reopening of the Broadway in 2021 when we screened Dune (2021), and my friends and I kept saying ‘This is the experience we have been missing’ you know, watching a film with others in a theater, and talking about it after.”

As an SLFS board member, Sinwell has both supported, and helped realize the larger aim of using film as a learning tool for social good. “SLFS shows unique films. We are purposefully putting these films on our screens, films that other people might not find otherwise. People are being introduced to other stories and cultures through these films.”

Indie Cinema Online is Sinwell’s newest book, and explores the challenges and growth of art house cinema

“Our films and cultural tours [like Czech Film Tour or FilmMéxico] let you imagine what it’s like to live in the Czech Republic, or Mexico, or live the female experience [in films like POLOF]. It’s an opportunity to explore what the future and history both hold” Sinwell added.

After stories of her introduction to loving film, writing and teaching film analysis, and how she became a vital member of the SLFS Board, there was one final piece of insight Sinwell had to offer on the age-old question: butter or no butter on your theater popcorn? “Definitely butter. But if it’s a matinee at the Broadway, I always get a slice of Pie Hole pizza and a Coke.”

Given our mission to educate, advocate, and inform about and through cinema , there are few people more suited to the task of vice-chair of the SLFS Board of Directors than Sarah E. S. Sinwell, and we are lucky to have her.

You can read some of her scholarly articles analyzing art house cinemas and how they have handled the COVID-19 pandemic here, and here. For information about her new book Indie Cinema Online, and other published work. click here.

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.

Donate Now

Why SLFS Believes in the Independent Theater Experience

Posted on August 18, 2022August 18, 2022 by Jesse Sindelar

Written by

Jesse Sindelar

For some of us, film can provide a form of escape. When we sit down to watch a movie (for instance, at an independent theater) we enter another world. It could be a fantasy world, or a world from the past, or a world that strikingly resembles our own. Like a dream, film gives us a place where our minds can seize the opportunity to get away from the thoughts and troubles of our reality, and imagine the undertaking of new experiences and perspectives. All films, and especially good ones, captivate their audience by nurturing this escape, feeding a string of environments, characters, and stories into these worlds that help us relate, and engage with their premise.

But as personally enchanting as the visual stories of film can be, sometimes we don’t quite notice that this activity can be supported, and even enhanced when we share it with others on the big screen in a movie theater. The maximized visuals and audio of the theater can reinforce the power of any film, and when we partake in this experience with others, looking at the same screen in the same room, with friends, family, or strangers, we come closer together. In the moment, we experience both physically and mentally that dreaming, imagining and exploring with others is a deeply human need, and one that we all share.

Film is a powerful vehicle for creating this intimate connection between total strangers, and it’s at the heart of what we offer the Salt Lake City community at Salt Lake Film Society. We show diverse and engaging independent films that help open minds and hearts, and provide experiences outside of ourselves that bring us closer to others. And through our independent theaters, we are committed to creating and nurturing community spaces where everyone can have shared experiences with one another.

Why The Big Screen Matters

SLFS believes in the big screen independent theater experience and the power of communal cinema, and we want to tell you why. Movie theaters have always been a pillar of the art of film, and the entertainment industry since the first ones started popping up in the late 19th century. But lately, with the modern era of streaming and nearly unlimited digital access to films becoming the norm, movie theaters have taken a bit of a hit over the years. For some, the convenience of at-home viewing has seemingly started to outweigh the big-screen movie theater experience.

But for many others, there is no substitute for the big screen independent cinema experience and the value it adds to their viewing experience. When you buy a ticket and you take your seat at a theater, you are making a purposeful commitment of attention to both the film and the story. It’s much harder to not engage when the screen nearly takes up your entire field of vision and the sound has the ability to shake your bones.

An empty audience at Tower Theatre, the oldest movie theater in the Salt Lake Valley still in operation. Photo Credit: Purple Moss Photography.

Car engines rumble loudly, wide vistas appear truly expansive, and the quiet tension of a killer stalking their victim is heard and felt throughout the theater. When you watch a film in a theater, the specificity of what you see, hear, and feel is amplified, and consequently amplifies the experience of the story too. You become immersed in it mind, body, and emotions.

But don’t just take our word for it. According to Jeffery Zacks, a professor of psychology at Washington University, the real-life stimuli and the empathetic reasoning that often produces emotion in our lives is not only replicated, but it’s intensified when we watch a movie. “In real life, we see people who cry and we watch bad things happen — all these things make us feel sad. But in a movie, you crank those things up to 11… [a filmmaker] can control exactly what’s shown, and what else is present.”

Zacks says this effect is even stronger when it comes to watching a film in a theater. “Bigger screens also produce more robust responses… you’re sitting in a dark room where everything else is cut off, the viewer has much less opportunity to walk away or focus on other things… it’s just taking the mechanisms that we encounter in real life and just really pushing all the buttons at once.”

The Independent Theater Experience

The sensory amplification of watching a movie on the big screen is a critical part of why the theater experience makes for a significantly superior experience, but it’s not the only reason. While distractions from not-so-respectful movie-goers can leave a bad taste in one’s mouth, we can’t forget the many positive ways in which communal cinema is powerful and an incredibly humanizing experience.

Moviegoers sitting down for a film at Broadway

Watching a film with others in a movie theater heightens the empathy, sympathy and connectedness of communal engagement through visual storytelling. Sharing laughs, gasps, and quietly sad moments with friends and strangers is how people become more present with each other. These shared experiences of emotion and physical responses reaffirm the themes, messages, and emotions that a film is trying to convey. The immersive physical space, along with the shared emotional responses is why films seen in a real independent cinema foster more empathy and compassion for people you don’t even know.

For independent theaters like Broadway Centre Cinemas and Tower Theatre that focus on showing independent films, this effect is even more powerful. We make it our mission to not only show thought-provoking films, but to also create a safe and accepting place where people can comfortably experience these stories, thoughts, and feelings with each other. It is our hope that the empathetic and social bonding that begins on the screen, will continue outside of the theater and into the conversations, ruminations, and lives of our moviegoers long after the credits roll.

Independent Cinema in Salt Lake City – SLFS

At Salt Lake Film Society, we believe deeply in the positive power of communal cinema to improve society, especially when it takes place through the big-screen independent theater experience. SLFS is proud to provide consistent, affordable access to inspiring stories that the community can share with each other. Through the films we show and the atmosphere we cultivate, we believe communal cinema can foster passionate conscientiousness in our community. So come join us (and your fellow community members) for a film! It just might change your life.

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.

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What Is an Independent Film?

Posted on August 4, 2022August 4, 2022 by Jesse Sindelar

Written by

Jesse Sindelar

The film industry as a whole releases a wide variety of movies each year. While there is an extensive range of stories and types of film in circulation, there are also some important distinctions regarding how films are made, funded, and distributed. You might have heard of “independent films” or “indie movies”, but understanding what actually qualifies as one, and why independent theaters focus on showing them is a bit more complicated.

Salt Lake Film Society operates two independent theaters and we take a lot of pride in the films we show in Salt Lake City. Many of these films, from gripping foreign dramas to small-budget, local documentaries, can be classified as independent films. But we also exhibit and enjoy plenty of films that are created within the major studio system as well.

This is not to say that one film type is inherently better than the other; there will always be amazing films being made and incredible stories being told, whether independently or studio-supported. At Salt Lake Film Society, we just believe that understanding and contextualizing the differences between independent films and studio films is a part of being a conscientious and engaged cinephile.

Distinctions Between Independent Films and Studio Films

While there can be plenty of noticeable differences between the experience of watching an independent vs. a studio-supported film, the more clear cut differences usually lie behind the scenes. For the audience, these differences can be evident in the types of stories told and the contrast in creative decisions made. But the differentiating factors that can more clearly distinguish the two revolve around the production and distribution processes, and the respective financial situations of each film type’s budget.

The definition of what constitutes an independent production can be somewhat muddled, but the most defining trait of an independent film is that it is produced and distributed outside the “major” film studio system. Studio films on the other hand, are defined by their production through a studio owned by one of the “Big 5” media conglomerates (NBC/Comcast, Paramount, Disney, Warner Bros, Sony). These studio films are also funded and distributed by massive production companies that operate under the umbrella of these media conglomerates.

Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out, independently produced by Blumhouse Productions

While many independent films are made by individual filmmakers, many are still made by film studios, albeit smaller ones. But an important consideration is that these films usually don’t have a guaranteed distribution network or production funding like the larger studios with their parent companies. Independent films need to scrap and source for producers and distributors almost from day one.

Sometimes, these more independent-focused distributors (A24, Neon, Blumhouse) will fund a project at the beginning, sometimes they purchase it halfway through or after it’s made, but the search for funds and distribution is a relentless necessity that characterizes most independent films. That’s why these films often dominate the film festival circuit (and why most festivals even exist in the first place); these filmmakers are showing off their product to distributors with the hope of it being purchased, and distributed.

While there is no specific dollar amount that separates an independent film budget from a studio film budget, spending range is another major factor that distinguishes these two film types. Independent film budgets can range vastly, from tens of thousands dollars to tens of millions, and occasionally will even require fundraising to finish production and find distributors. Studio film budgets will also vary quite substantially, but their upper limits are astronomically higher, with some studio films working with predetermined budgets that can range up to half a billion dollars.

Different Motivations, Different Expectations

This large contrast in monetary and distribution processes consequently leads to a variety of differences in production, artistic influence, and definitions of success. Studio films are often formulaic and controlled by senior management from start to finish, and while the production needs vary from film to film, they always maintain some form of uniformity in operation, staffing, and expenses. Independent film productions are more free-form, following the direction and desire of the producers and their artistic vision, often sourcing staff, equipment, and money as they go along.

Penélope Cruz, Johnny Depp, and Ian McShane in Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides, the most expensive film ever made with a budget over $400 million

These creative and production differences understandably lead to clear differences in motivation for producing the film, and what defines a film’s release as successful. Studio films and the stories they tell are much more likely to have the biggest names and the grandest visual effects, and are often made with the primary goal of commercial success. There has never been a studio film made that hasn’t undergone rigorous financial calculations by studio executives beforehand regarding the potential money it might bring in. These films are usually designed to cater to as many people as possible, in order to maximize attendance and box office revenue (often to recoup some of the expenditures from their immense budgets).

Independent films (and the independent theaters that proudly and consistently show them) have different motivations. These films usually put more emphasis on the art of storytelling, and presenting the perspective of a wide diversity of voices. They often don’t cater to the largest possible audience. Instead, they aim to craft a narrative that makes the audience take a mental step back and ask questions, like “Who?”, “What?”, or “Why?”. Independent films are not totally free from the industry’s financial expectations, but their purpose will usually be more driven towards the limitless freedom of artistic expression, the introspection of the audience, and the diversity of filmmakers, experiences, and stories that naturally comes from that.

Muddied Definitions of “Studio” and “Independent” Films

For any fan of film who has explored the varied types of stories and styles the industry has to offer, it’s clear that there are some distinctive differences between smaller budget, “art house” indie films, and bigger budget, franchise-spawning studio films. But just like the real world, the conversation and categorization is a bit more nuanced than that. In reality, most films do not sit neatly in one category or the other, or their content doesn’t fit the archetype expected from their production and funding.

John Corbett and Nia Vardalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, an independent film which grossed $369 million, with only a $5 million budget

Big studio films can spend big while still emphasizing diverse narratives and more artistically-driven creators (consider Taika Waititi now directing Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder). On the other hand, independent films with small budgets can still tell more generalized stories that aim for studio-esque commercial success (the independent rom-com, My Big Fat Greek Wedding grossed $368.7 million worldwide). While some may call these exceptions to the rule, others might say that the definitions are simply more muddied in the modern film era. And when it comes to streaming services now consistently producing and distributing their own content, the conversation can become even more complicated.

Independent Theaters in Salt Lake City – SLFS

At Salt Lake Film Society we are proud to exhibit thought-provoking stories and inspiring films to our community through our independent theaters, whether they be niche independent films or widespread studio films. Our goal as a independent cinema is less about properly defining film as “independent” or “studio”, and more about cultivating in our audience a natural curiosity about each film they see, learning more about who made it, how they made it, why they made it, and what creators or organizations they are supporting by purchasing a ticket for it.

Our independent theaters love to present independent films that emphasize art, culture, and underrepresented voices, but we all have plenty of studio films that we adore. We just love film, and we love the questions and conversations it can produce, so come see a movie and join the discussion, and learn a bit more about different types of film yourself.

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.

Donate Now

The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Posted on July 22, 2022July 27, 2022 by Rachel Getts

Join us for this special marathon screening of Peter Jackson's epic, Academy-Award winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

One Marathon to rule them all…August 13th at Broadway.

$35 for all three films! Tickets will include swag, food, and trivia for an amazing one day event.

Tickets Available Here

Your journey begins with The Fellowship of the Ring at Noon. There will be a 30 minute break before The Two Towers at roughly 3:00 pm. Following that film, there will be a 60 minute break for dinner at 6:30 pm before The Return of the King at 7:30 pm. The full program should exit by 11:00 pm.

The Lord of the Rings is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential film series ever made. Each film was critically acclaimed, with high praise for their innovative special effects, acting, set design, musical score and emotional depth, and heavily awarded, the series winning 17 Academy Awards.

Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the trilogy follows the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and the Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, to ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. The Fellowship eventually splits up and Frodo continues the quest with his loyal companion Sam and the treacherous Gollum. Meanwhile, Aragorn, heir in exile to the throne of Gondor, along with Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Merry, Pippin and the wizard Gandalf, unite to save the Free Peoples of Middle-earth from the forces of Sauron and rally them in the War of the Ring to aid Frodo by distracting Sauron’s attention.

Tag: salt lake film society

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Distinctions Between Independent Films and Studio Films

Different Motivations, Different Expectations

Muddied Definitions of “Studio” and “Independent” Films

Independent Theaters in Salt Lake City – SLFS

The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Join us for this special marathon screening of Peter Jackson's epic, Academy-Award winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

One Marathon to rule them all…August 13th at Broadway.

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