Community-based filmmaking and a highly anticipated upcoming summer movie season collide as The Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU) proudly presents “The 2018 Summer Movie Edition of the Guerilla Shorts Showcase.” Taking place in St. George UT at Megaplex’s Main Street Cinema on Saturday, June 16th at 7 PM, this event will continue a very exciting southern Utah tradition that started way back in 2005.
Back in early May, a handful of Utah-based filmmakers of all ages and all skill sets were each given a theme inspired by an upcoming summer movie. With a plethora of buzz-worthy summer movies upon us (i.e. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-FALLOUT, JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM, HEREDITARY, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, INCREDIBLES 2, etc.), there was certainly no shortage of themes to choose from. It should be noted, though, that participants were not required to make a film akin to the summer movie that inspired their theme. They were simply required to take the theme and structure their short film around it to the best of their ability. Following the unveiling of these individual themes, filmmakers were then given a limited amount of time to put together their projects using any resources available to them.
After the dust had settled, 21 fimmaking teams completed their projects for your viewing pleasure. Here’s a list of the participating filmmakers and their themes. Per the Challenge guidelines, these films were limited to a 5 minute running time, but 6 teams were given the opportunity to take advantage of a special 3 minute upgrade. It should also be noted that the short film lineup will be presented in the following order;
Brandon Tippetts and Lonie Black
Theme: “THIS MESSAGE WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN 5 SECONDS”
8 minutes
Jessica Staples and Sheldon Demke
Theme: ” I READ ABOUT IT IN A BOOK”
5 minutes
Kipp Howard
Theme: “DOUBLE CROSSED”
5 minutes
Trey Paterson
Theme: “LIFE FINDS A WAY”
5 minutes
Caleb Hatton
Theme: “I DO ALL MY OWN STUNTS”
8 minutes
Aimee Sanders and Sara Sanders
Theme: “BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL”
5 minutes
J. Bryan Dial
Theme: “AND JUSTICE FOR ALL”
5 minutes
Rebekah Jackson
Theme: “LOOKS LIKE I’LL HAVE TO DO IT BY MYSELF”
8 minutes
Christian Navarrete
Theme: “CRUISE CONTROL”
5 minutes
Sheldon Demke
Theme: “ONE NIGHT ONLY”
5 minutes
Chelle Nixon
Theme: “FAMILY TREE”
8 minutes
Liz Baxter
Theme: “CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO GET TO SESAME STREET”
5 minutes
Carl Washington
Theme: “SORRY TO BUG YOU”
5 minutes
Alexis Vencill
Theme: “A MOTHER’S JOB IS NEVER DONE”
5 minutes
Jungi Lee
Theme: “STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE”
5 minutes
Dan Bringhurst
Theme: “A GREAT SONG CAN CHANGE THE WORLD”
5 minutes
John Pugh
Theme: “NEW AND IMPROVED”
5 minutes
Aaron Eames
Theme: “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD”
5 minutes
Shaun Labrecque
Theme: “WHERE WILL YOU BE WHEN IT ALL ENDS”
8 minutes
Dan Fowlks
Theme: “WE’RE FAMILY”
5 minutes
Dean Jones
Theme: “DON’T DO DRUGS”
8 minutes
Come on out to Main Street Cinema and see what these passionate, inspiring, creative, and extremely dedicated individuals came up with. Then, get in on the action by voting for your favorite short because there will be an Audience Choice Prize handed out to one of these spirited filmmaking teams.
In addition to an Audience Choice, we’ll also have a special panel of judges on hand to award cash prizes to the 3 strongest films of the lot. Our panel of esteemed judges are:
Matt Black
This outstanding and dedicated St. George-based storyteller specializes in documentary filmmaking. His current project is an insightful, important, and passionate look into the world of homeschooling.
Kristina Harding
This veteran of the stage serves as a performer, director, and vocal coach and has a myriad of credits to her name including a handful of Shakespeare Festival and SGMT productions.
Michael Harding
In addition to hosting the radio show “On the Arts,” Michael Harding is a veteran of the stage and is currently in the midst of directing “Flowers For Algernon” for the Kayenta’s Center For the Arts.
Lori Lyle
This award winning filmmaker just finished a successful festival run with a psychological thriller called “Glass Cages” and is currently prepping multiple feature film projects.
George Scott
A true champion of the St. George arts scene, Scott is behind The Desert Pulse, an online trade dedicated to music, theater, film, and everything in between.
Kelly Stowell
In addition to being the founder of Kanab’s increasingly popular “Little Hollywood Shoot-Out,” Stowell is also a member of Kanab Area Chamber of Commerce and has been a vital part of many of the high profile film productions to shoot in Kane County.
Special thanks to our judges for donating their time and for continuing to celebrate the arts here in Southern Utah.
Filmmaking is very much alive and well in lovely St. George, UT and this particular event is shaping up to be something truly special. A showcase comprised of several diverse local storytellers who have set out to treat viewers to their creations by way of a variety of genres including drama, comedy, action, and horror just to name a precious few. There’s even an animated short in the mix!
And what’s more, local filmmakers and movie-goers alike will have the rare (and magical) opportunity of experiencing these short films on the big screen surrounded by the artists that created them and that’s an amazing thing in of itself because while outlets like YouTube and Vimeo have really opened the door for storytellers from around the globe, nothing beats the energy that comes with the big screen experience.
FMASU is a non-profit dedicated to encouraging and nurturing aspiring filmmaking talent here in St. George and it all starts with stepping stone platforms like the Guerilla Filmmaking Challenge. This platform is not only educational, but it’s also a vital creative outlet because it gives storytellers hands on experience, an opportunity to collaborate, and a chance to explore creatively. And yes, there’s even room to make mistakes because after all, that’s an integral part of the learning process. Just think of FMASU as the film equivalent of community theater.
Come on out and support your local filmmakers and in return, you’ll be treated to an evening of wonderfully creative cinematic entertainment that you wont soon forget.
Tickets for “The 2018 Summer Movie Edition of the Guerilla Shorts Showcase” are only $7 for adults and $5 for children 11 and under.
Tickets are on sale now! You can purchase theme HERE! You can also purchase tickets at the door the night of the event.
For more on the Guerilla Filmmaking Challenge, be sure to visit “Southern Utah’s Guerilla Filmmaking Challenge” Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
