Sundance Film Festival High School Student Programs

Local Student Outreach

Utah High School Screening Series

Since 2000, Sundance Institute offers Utah students and teachers the opportunity to participate in one of the world's top film festivals through the High School Screening Program.

The Sundance Institute | George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation High School Screenings Program presents 2013 Sundance Film Festival  films specially chosen by Institute staff to introduce students to the art of independent film and engage them in stories from around the globe. Rigorous attention is given to ensure films contain content appropriate for this age group. Through the generous support of Mudd Law Offices; Park City Municipal Corporation; Park City Foundation; Park City Rotary; Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts & Parks Program; Salt Lake County Economic Development Department; Summit County Recreation Arts and Parks Program; Salt Lake Arts Council; University of Utah; Utah Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts the Program is free to students.

The Program offers a selection of both international and domestic  documentary and narrative films. After each screening, the filmmaker conducts a question & answer session with the students. Utah students have been among the first to view films such as:  An Inconvenient Truth, March of the Penguins, The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia, Napoleon Dynamite,  and Buck.

Since Festival films are not yet rated, we encourage audiences concerned about film content to consider films selected for the High School Screening Program. The 2013 Program includes:

Ain't Them Bodies Saints / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Lowery) - he tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he's never met.. Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, Keith Carradine.

Austenland / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Jerusha Hess, Screenwriters: Jerusha Hess, Shannon Hale) - Thirtysomething, single Jane is obsessed with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice. On a trip to an English resort, her fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman become more real than she ever imagined. . Cast: Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Bret McKenzie, Jennifer Coolidge, Georgia King, James Callis.

Blood Brother / U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) - Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face. Or the love he would find.

Blackfish / U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) - The notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of 3 individuals, including a top Sea World trainer. Blackfish shows the devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.

The Crash Reel / U.S.A. (Director: Lucy Walker, Screenwriters: Pedro Kos, Lucy Walker) - The jaw-dropping story of one unforgettable athlete, Kevin Pearce; one eye-popping sport, snow boarding; and one explosive issue, Traumatic Brain Injury. An epic rivalry between Kevin and Shaun White culminates in a life-changing crash and a comeback story with a difference.

Google and the World Brain / Spain, United Kingdom (Director: Ben Lewis) - In the most ambitious Internet project ever conceived, Google is working to scan every book in the world. Google says it is building a library for mankind. But some are trying to stop it, claiming that Google may have other intentions.

Inequality for All / U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) - In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and takes on the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.

Life According to Sam / U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) - Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal aging disease for which there is no cure. Their work may one day unlock the key to aging in all of us.

Linsanity / U.S.A. (Director: Evan Jackson Leong) - Jeremy Lin came from a humble background to an unbelievable run in the NBA.  High school state champion, all-Ivy League at Harvard, undrafted by the NBA and unwanted there, his story started long before he landed on Broadway.

Pandora’s Promise / U.S.A. (Director: Robert Stone) - The story of why a growing number of environmentalists are renouncing decades of anti-nuclear orthodoxy, and how they have come to believe that the most feared and controversial technology known to man is probably the greatest hope for mankind. 

The Summit / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Nick Ryan, Screenwriter: Mark Monroe) - 24 climbers converged on the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. 48 hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell stuck to the climbers' code, he might still be alive

Utah Film Student Package

Please visit the Festival ticketing section here to learn more about student ticket packages.

Thank you to following sponsors for supporting our student outreach opportunities: Rap Tax, Zap Tax, and PCPA Foundation.