Unstoppable Progress - Slamdance Film Festival and the U
This year, for the second time, the University of Utah will welcome one of the most inclusive and innovative film festival programs in the nation: Slamdance Unstoppable. Together, Slamdance and the U’s Department of Film & Media Arts will present three days of free film screenings and filmmaker Q&As, all of which will be held in the Student Union Theater on the U campus.
Slamdance Unstoppable is a program in the annual Slamdance Film Festival that showcases films made by filmmakers with visible and non-visible disabilities, programmed exclusively by disabled artists. “We are thrilled to welcome Slamdance back to campus for another year of the groundbreaking Unstoppable program,” said Andrew Patrick Nelson, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Film & Media Arts. Festival Director and Unstoppable Co-Founder Taylor Miller agrees: “The collaboration between the University of Utah and Slamdance Unstoppable is very special. It’s a partnership that, in our second year, profoundly impacts filmmakers with disabilities and plays a crucial role in fostering inclusive, innovative storytelling within the film industry.”
Still from Good Bad Things
Unstoppable brings to the foreground the kinds of films that have historically been underrepresented due to the prejudices and gatekeeping that have limited disabled filmmakers.
“The Unstoppable program continues to be a beacon of innovation and creativity, providing an accessible platform for diverse voices and groundbreaking storytelling,” says Unstoppable Co-Founder Juliet Romeo. “We are committed to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers and pushing the boundaries of what independent cinema can achieve.”
By providing a platform for previously unheard voices, as well as a venue where there’s a focus on accessibility, the U and Slamdance are able to present a program of films that will challenge viewers’ preconceptions and shatter boundaries for filmmakers with disabilities.
This year’s Unstoppable program features both short and feature-length films, including films such as NINA is an ATHLETE, a documentary about wheelchair badminton champion Nina Gorodetsky, and Good Bad Things, a fictional drama film about a young man with muscular dystrophy and a photographer that aids him on his journey to self-acceptance.
Still from NINA is an ATHLETE
The U’s Department of Film & Media Arts and Slamdance share a long history of collaboration and a vibrant network of students, alumni, and filmmakers. Slamdance Unstoppable reflects and celebrates the diversity within that community. “Last year’s program was a tremendous success, and a testament to our shared commitment to empowering people from all backgrounds to tell their own stories through film,” said Nelson. This year, the Department of Film & Media Arts again invites U students, staff, and faculty, as well as the wider U community, to attend this dynamic event.
“Slamdance 2024 is where the unstoppable spirit of cinema takes center stage!” said Romeo. “Through storytelling, we shatter barriers and redefine Unstoppable.“
Unstoppable @ the U - Schedule
All screenings are FREE. You can reserve a free ticket by visiting the Slamdance website.
Screenings will take place in the Student Union Theater on the University of Utah Campus (200 Central Campus Dr, Salt Lake City, UT). For information on accessibility and parking, please visit Slamdance Unstoppable’s FAQ.
Monday, January 22nd
3:00pm | Nina is an ATHLETE & Baby
6:30pm | Unstoppable Shorts Block
Tuesday, January 23rd
5:15pm | Look At Me & Baggage
7:30pm | Leilani’s Fortune & Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
Wednesday, January 24th
4:00pm | Good Bad Things & DOSH
6:45pm | DARUMA & Saving Art