Annual Report 2024
We exhibit, create, and preserve the cinematic experience.
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SLFS Annual Report 2024
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Summer Showdown
Starts May 30
Films compete each weekend to be crowned the Champion Of Summer.
SLFS SUMMER SHOWDOWN will pit two films against one another each weekend to see what films are the champion of summer!
Cult Cinema at its best. How it works.
Friday and Saturday nights at Broadway we will present cult, indie, and summer cinema goodness. Screenings will include a limited edition swag, merchandise, and surprise give-aways. Collect them all!
We will announce the winning film each week on our social media, so follow us!
At the end of summer only ONE film will be crowned CHAMPION OF SUMMER.
How do YOU help determine the winner?
Each weekend your favorite films will gain ranking on our leader board according to:
1) Audience Attendance (bring all your friends!) (1 point per dollar on the day of screening)
2) Donations attributed to the film or received day of screening (2 points per dollar)
3) Join our Red Carpet Club! Each membership dollar can be used toward any film.
Have a favorite film? Be sure to attend in-person, donate for double the points, or join the Red Carpet Club to affect the rankings each weekend.
*Eligibility audience members must have purchased a ticket through slfs.org online ticketing systems and must have provided their email and telephone number at the time of purchase for our Audience Awards program. SLFS is not responsible for lost or misdirected emails, send errors, or junk email capture, and recommends all audiences check their junk after the winning film is announced in September. Non-Transferable. Restrictions apply. No guarantees will be given and gifts may be first-come, first-served if some items are limited in quantity.
Tower Theatre Update
TOWER THEATRE PLANNING UPDATES
This page was last updated on November 6, 2025
Our goal is to update this page quarterly.
We extend our deep gratitude to all who have inquired about and continue to love the Tower. SLFS remains 100% committed to preserving this unique and wonderful cinematic gem.
THE VISION
The 1928 historic Tower Theatre is being designed and renovated as an environmentally responsible crown-jewel movie house and community hub dedicated exclusively to cinematic experiences.
When completed, the Tower will serve as a community-based, mission-driven anchor for the 9th & 9th neighborhood. This treasured movie house will be Utah’s cinematic museum, trailblazing environmental responsibility and serving community through historic, contemporary, and unique technological film screenings, director/actor Q&As, cultural/environmental films, panel discussions, and SLFS’ curated programming. It will include museum exhibits that celebrate cinema’s history while inspiring the future of the medium.
RECENT HAPPENINGS
LATEST NEWS:
We’re thrilled to share that Salt Lake Film Society has submitted the initial concept drawings for the Tower Theatre renovation project to Salt Lake City Building Services for the required planning review.
This milestone represents an exciting — though very early — step in the long and thoughtful process of restoring and reimagining our beloved 1928 movie house.
Developed by the Tower’s talented architectural and design partners, these drawings reflect the project’s preliminary vision. They will continue to evolve as we incorporate community input, professional feedback, and sustainable design principles rooted in our environmental mission.
ONGOING PROGRESS
This summer also marked steady progress throughout the schematic design phase of the Tower Theatre: Next 100 Years project. Our architectural and engineering partners have been working closely with SLFS leadership and consultants to refine concepts, sustainability goals, and community-driven priorities.
Highlights since May include:
- Advancement of schematic drawings, which will guide the next stage of design development in 2026.
- Continued Tower tours with philanthropists and foundation leaders, resulting in new early donor commitments.
- Ongoing collaboration with our architecture, engineering, and design partners, who remain on schedule to complete schematic work in 2026.
- Regular upkeep of the Tower’s exterior and surrounding property throughout the summer to maintain the building’s historic charm and neighborhood presence.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
When will the Tower reopen?
The Tower is projected to complete major renovations later this decade. Exact reopening dates will depend on fundraising success, design development, and construction and manufacturing schedules.
What stage is the project in now?
We are currently in the schematic design/capital campaign build phase, scheduled to run through 2026. This stage will deliver architectural drawings, cost estimates, city approvals, and a public fundraising campaign gameplan.
Why is this renovation taking years instead of months?
Historic restorations of this scale require multiple stages: visioning, schematic design, design development, fundraising, and construction. Similar projects at peer cinemas have taken 5–10 years to complete. Often the perception is that such projects are only 2-3 years due to the timeframe the project “goes public.” When in reality, such projects have a quiet phase of planning and development, often with boards and behind-the-scenes, for years prior to announcing to the public such projects. Since the Tower is not in operations, this quiet phase is not really possible for SLFS. The public already knows the Tower exists and needs support to reopen. It will take all of us to make it a success, but it will take time.
How can I support the Tower project right now?
The most direct way is to become a sustaining donor through our Red Carpet Club. Sustaining donors keep SLFS as an institution strong and healthy so we can execute the vision for the Tower.
Businesses and philanthropists interested in leadership-level giving can contact us at info@saltlakefilmsociety.org for more information.
Will Tower programming continue in the meantime?
Yes! SLFS continues to host Tower programming at Broadway Centre Cinemas, including our annual Tower of Terror series each fall.
What makes this renovation environmentally responsible?
The project is rooted in biophilic design principles, energy-efficient systems, and sustainable building practices. Our Project Ethics Mandate ensures equity, environmental stewardship, and just practices guide every phase.
Why can’t the Tower just “patch things up” and reopen sooner?
The assessments revealed significant structural and systems challenges, including roof truss reinforcement, electrical and HVAC upgrades, and accessibility improvements. Patching these without a full plan would compromise long-term safety, sustainability, and preservation goals.
THE TIMELINE
THE PROJECT HISTORY
The Tower Theatre, a 1928 movie house, holds many mysteries and secrets. For 23 years, SLFS rented the Tower, limiting our ability to invest deeply in the building. In 2021, a modest lobby renovation was planned, but the historic complexity of the site escalated costs. With the Utah Theatre being demolished, SLFS purchased the Tower in 2022 to preserve it for future generations.
Thanks to the Alternative Visions Fund, SLFS now owns the building outright and is laying the groundwork for its preservation and transformation.
THE VISIONING PROGRESS
Since acquiring the Tower Theatre in December 2022, SLFS has been collaborating with arts leaders, board members, staff, and community partners to shape the Tower Theatre: Next 100 Years Project. Our phased approach — Visioning, Planning (schematics), Design, and Construction — is modeled after successful restorations across the country.
Your engagement is crucial. Supporting our Broadway Centre Cinemas, attending events, and becoming a sustaining donor all strengthen SLFS and this project’s future.
With love,
SLFS staff, board, advisory committees, and volunteers
Become A Member
Be A Sponsor
Presenting Black Cinema
Presenting Black Cinema is a series in February to spotlight the unique and varied experience of black cinema.
During February we will have films opening on Sunday for limited runs throughout the week. These films include such varied genres as documentaries, dramas, romance, and horror.
Check out the schedule below. Showtimes May Vary. Tickets will be on sale soon at www.slfstix.org.
Feb 4: I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
FEB 11: TIME
FEB 18: LOVE AND BASKETBALL
FEB 25: GANJA AND HESS
Sundance and SLFS Local Lens Screening 7/28
Festival Favorites. For Utahns. For Free. Sundance Film Festival: Local Lens program is a series of FREE screenings happening July 26–29.
Get information on all screenings -> https://www.sundance.org/local-lens/
Get tickets while supplies last.
RSVP for FREE tickets to these films screening at SLFS on 7/28:
Kokomo City at 7:00 pm -> RSVP
Birth/Rebirth at 11:30 pm -> RSVP
Music May starts May 5
Join us at SLFS in May 2023 for our Music May retrospective series is curated by musician John Doe from the band “X” every weekend on Fridays and Saturdays starting May 5.
John Doe is a founding member of the legendary punk rock band X, who released ALPHABETLAND in April 2020. His eleventh solo record, Fables in a Foreign Land (Fat Possum Records) was released in May of 2022. He has appeared in over 60 films and television productions, some of his most notable roles have been in Road House, Georgia, Roadside Prophets, Great Balls of Fire, Pure Country and Roswell. His most recent film effort is playing the lead, Frank Bigelow, in a period correct, re-imagined version of the film noir, D.O.A. So far it has won several film festival awards including Best Picture & Best Actor. He currently lives in Austin, Texas.
Showtimes may vary. Tickets will be on sale at www.slfstix.org.
MAY 5: CHULAS FROTERAS
MAY 6: X: THE UNHEARD MUSIC
MAY 12: I’M NOT HERE
MAY 13: BIRD (1988)
MAY 19: BLACK ORPHEUS
MAY 20: SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN
MAY 26: THE GIRL CAN’T HELP IT
MAY 27: THE HARDER THEY COME
In The Can with Doug Fabrizio starts April 20
Salt Lake Film Society partners with University of Utah department of Film and Media Arts and KUER’s RadioWest host Doug Fabrizio to bring you a conversation about THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS. This month’s special guest will be University of Utah Associate Professor of Film Studies Sarah Sinwell. Admission includes a screening of the film followed by a live panel discussion.
Join us for this one night only special event! Tickets are now available here.
Anderson and Anderson in April 2023
Join us at SLFS in April 2023 for a retrospective series featuring the films of P.T. Anderson and Wes Anderson every weekend on Friday and Saturday starting March 31st.
Paul Thomas Anderson (known as P.T.) grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the ’70s and 80’s. At an early age, he decided that directing was all he wanted to do and started making short films with his friends. As a senior in high school he wrote, produced, and directed a 30 minute short film “The Dirk Diggler Story”. (This became the basis for his film Boogie Nights.) While at the Sundance Feature Film program he developed the film “Sydney” which became the acclaimed film Hard Eight. After struggles with his distributor, he took his own version of “Sydney” to Cannes where it screened in the Un Certain Regard section. Eventually “Sydney” was released as Hard Eight in 1996, of which film critic Roger Ebert wrote “Movies like Hard Eight remind me of what original, compelling characters the movies can sometimes give us.”
Wes Anderson was born in Houston, Texas in 1969. Also at a young age he was driven to become a filmmaker making silent films with his brothers and friends. Later working as a projectionist at the University of Texas at Austin he met writer/actor Owen Wilson who he collaborated with in his early films such as Bottle Rocket. His signature post-modern style and subversion of main-stream storytelling stands out amidst commercial filmmaking today. Big star-studded casts, fast paced humor, and a nostalgia mark his films which are never quite what you expected.
These popular directors, who happen to share a last name, represent a new wave of stylistic directing that always surprises. Their way of telling stories is unique in a world of short attention spans and easy endings.
Showtimes may vary. Tickets will be on sale at www.slfstix.org.
Mar 31: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
April 1: Boogie Nights
April 7: Punch Drunk Love
April 8: The Grand Budapest Hotel
April 14: Hard Eight
April 15: Bottle Rocket
April 21: There Will Be Blood
April 22: The Royal Tenenbaums
April 28: Magnolia
April 29: Rushmore
Killer Cars & Joy Rides in March 2023
Join us at SLFS in March 2023 for a fast paced ride through late 1960s to 1970s cinema as we present our Killer Cars & Joy Rides series every weekend starting March 3.
Showtimes may vary. Tickets are now on sale – > www.slfstix.org.
Mar 3: The Italian Job (1969)
Mar 4: Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Mar 10: Bullitt (1968)
Mar 11: The Driver (1978)
Mar 17: Grand Prix (1966)
Mar 18: Le Mans (1971)
Mar 24: Vanishing Point (1971)
Mar 25: Duel (1971)
SLFS Staff on Valentine’s Day: Romantic (And Potentially Comedic) Picks
Love and romantic relationships have always held a special place in the world of visual storytelling, from the earliest on-stage stories of Shakespeare, to the romantic (and romantic-comedy) films that populate the world of cinema. With Valentine’s Day, the holiday of courtship and romance, right around the corner, what better way for Salt Lake Film Society to celebrate the power of love and film (and honor Saint Valentine) than discussing our favorite romantic/romantic-comedy films?
While these films are often more entertaining and absurd than they are true to the real-life relationships we celebrate on Valentine’s Day, the drama of romance and the often-happy endings they portray always seem to inject us with a bit of hope and optimism about our own lives, romantic or otherwise.
As Jason Sudeikis’s character remarks in the hit Apple TV series Ted Lasso, he believes in “rom-communism”. “If all those attractive people can go through some light-hearted struggles and still end up happy, then so can we! Believing in rom-communism is all about believing that everything’s gonna work out in the end.” So take a look at what the SLFS Staff picked for their favorite romantic films, and see what stories make us believe that everything will (or won’t) work out in the end.
Our Staff Picks for This Valentine’s Day
CITY LIGHTS (1931) – Tori Baker, President/CEO
- “The last shot of City Lights is simply one of the most heartbreaking film shots of any love story. The last line “Yes, I can see now?” and its complex meaning makes the shot a masterpiece. The hilarious journey of the Tramp falling in love with a blind flower girl — who believes he’s a wealthy patron — is a “must” in the staple of unusual romance stories. This one takes us on a journey that both affirms the best of humanity, and also slaps us with the complexities of our social strata in America.”
ADDICTED TO LOVE (1997) – Stephen Simmons, Associate Director of Production
- “‘90’s Roms Coms are my guilty pleasure (my runner up was HIGH FIDELITY). The one that stands out most is ADDICTED TO LOVE. Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick are the perfect anti-heroes in this neurotic love story. Have you ever had your heart broken? Have you ever wanted to get revenge? This playful and hilarious black comedy pushes the boundaries of what one might do for love (or lack of). This is one of those films that is a comfort if you are down in the dumps. or just got dumped. If you have any symptoms of a broken heart, this might be your Valentine’s cure.”
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) – Rachel Getts, Associate Director of Digital Content
- “IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT has everything: Enemies to lovers? Check. Rich vs. poor? Check. Witty sexy banter? Check. This ’30s classic has just the right mixture of humor and romance. Gable and Colbert are such a killer pairing. From their first meeting it is without a doubt that these two are made for each other-if they could just get out of their own way. A must-watch every year.”
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) – Marcie Collett, Associate Director of Development
- “I actually love watching romances fail more than succeed, especially if a woman is mostly in charge, as Barbara Stanwyck is in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, or Joan Crawford in MILDRED PIERCE, or Bette Davis in THE LITTLE FOXES. I do enjoy the romantic success of Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis in SOME LIKE IT HOT, but really I’m happy for Jack Lemmon as he finds the most understanding lover who in the end tells him, “Nobody’s perfect.” Also Cher and Nicholas Cage in MOONSTRUCK have the most iconic romantic slap and line, “Snap out of it!” Finally, I just love Kyle in TERMINATOR when he says “I came across time for you, Sarah. I love you. I always have.”
HITCH (2005) – Jesse Sindelar, Development Manager
Will Smith and Kevin James in Hitch - “For many film fans, the “rom-com” is a guilty pleasure, a bit of corny junk food to supplement the larger film palette. When it comes to HITCH though, for me there’s no guilt involved. It has all the rom-com tropes executed to stylish perfection: beautiful and charming people who struggle to make it work as they learn more about each other, slight miscommunications that hold the entire plot together, quality physical comedy between Will Smith and Kevin James, and a happy, heartfelt ending that makes all the corn and self-sabotaging failures worth it. This film makes you actually believe that love is right around the corner if you just try hard enough, or if you give a well-timed and passionate monologue full of emotional truths and clever metaphors. Plus, seeing Will Smith drunk on Benadryl is a wish I never knew I had.”
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004) – Susan Tive, Head of Philanthropy
- “Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry teamed up to create one of my favorite romantic comedies. Released in 2004, Eternal Sunshine stars Jim Carey and Kate Winslet playing Joel and Clementine, lovers who break up and attempt to make that final by erasing each other from their memories through a new scientific procedure. While they hope that a spotless mind will eliminate the past and thus the painful moments of their relationship, the film shows us that love, and its associated moments and memories become essential parts of who we are and that what connects us to one another remains indelible whether we choose to pay attention to it or not.”
Art House Films in Salt Lake City – SLFS
At Salt Lake Film Society, we love a good story on the big screen, whether it’s a love story or not. The emotion that films make us feel sits at the heart of what makes us human, and love is one of the most powerful emotions of them all. While these staff selections might not all have the happy endings or light-hearted, positive emotions you want out of a love story, we hope they offer some interesting insight into the wide variety of romantic (and romantically-comedic) films out there, and maybe even provide a good movie to watch for your Valentine’s Day celebration.
Find some Valentine’s Day cards for your favorite movie-goer from SLFS here.