From Matt Marxteyn, Red Rock Film Festival
Cedar City has earned its reputation as Festival City, USA, and November brings another opportunity to celebrate its vibrant arts and culture scene. The 20th Annual Red Rock Film Festival arrives November 18–21, bringing independent films, international perspectives and storytelling to the Cedar Fun Center.
Following its first section in St. George, the festival’s Cedar City screenings offer audiences a new lineup of dramas, documentaries, comedy and music-driven stories. Some St. George screenings, including Taylor Olson’s What We Dreamed of Then and Utah filmmaker Jill Orschel’s Snowland, for example, prompted requests for repeat showings.
This year’s selection explores subjects ranging from family and personal resilience to wildlife conservation, artistic freedom and the complicated relationships that shape our lives.
Among the dramas is Marko Naberšnik’s Whites Wash at Ninety, following Bronja as she faces cancer after losing her mother to the disease. Sonnie Lee’s The Distance We Drift offers an intimate story of love, memory and belonging as two former lovers reconnect in London. Adding a touch of fantasy and comedy, Dmitry Nikolenko’s My Boyfriend, a Mannequin follows a young woman who discovers an enchanted man nobody else can see.
For documentary fans, Emmy-winning director Sharon Liese’s Seized investigates a controversial police raid on a small Kansas newspaper and raises questions about press freedom and constitutional rights. Abraham Joffe’s Trade Secret, filmed across 13 countries over six years, investigates the international commercial trade in polar bears and the people responsible for protecting them may not be what they seem.
Music takes center stage in Ishues, featuring DMC of Run-DMC, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Brenton Wood. Fiona Young’s Unbroken: The Untold Story of Shen Yun examines artistic expression, faith and alleged political intimidation. Baseball enthusiasts can discover the troubled story behind a historic Pete Rose milestone in Alone on the Mound, featuring Rose’s final studio interview.
Also featured is Nick Butler’s Lunar Sway, a desert-town drama about Cliff, a young man searching for love whose unexpected reunion with his birth mother brings family secrets to the surface.
These are just the features. Several shorts are also selected from independent filmmakers from around the world. The event offers Cedar City festival lovers a chance to discover a contrast to the usual Hollywood lineup.
The 20th Red Rock Film Festival & Market runs November 18–21 from 1–11 p.m. at the
Cedar Fun Center, 170 E. Fiddlers Canyon Road, Cedar City.
Advance prices for passes: https://redrockfilmfestival.eventive.org/passes/buy
Pay more at the door. Local residents should scroll to the Locals Festival Pass and enter the Cedar Fun Center ZIP code as the ‘discount code’. Availability is limited.
