DOCUTAH: Ten years strong
By Della Lowe
This year marks the 10th season of an idea, sparked a decade ago, that a small desert city in the far southwestern corner of Utah could mount a world-class documentary film festival. However, that is exactly what happened. Now the Dixie State University DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival is completing the DOCUTAH Decade this fall Sept. 2–7. During its 10 years, DOCUTAH has attracted thousands of films from all over the world through its submission process.
“There is something very special about viewing films at a film festival,” said Phil Tuckett, professor of digital film at DSU and founder and executive director of DOCUTAH. “It’s an experience you cannot get sitting on your couch watching Netflix or even in a theater. It is an immersive experience, shared with thousands of film enthusiasts, film directors, and often the subject of the film. When you combine that with special events such as live concerts by the musicians in the films, or a chocolate, wine and olive oil tasting to whet your appetite for films about those subjects, you’ve spent time really surrounded by the vision of the filmmakers.”
This year’s festival presents 65 films from 30 countries with subjects that encompass something for everyone: Hollywood’s Second World War, how craft chocolate is made, an artist who paints with dirt in the Utah desert, the oldest climber to summit Mt. Everest, how we find truth in a post-truth world, an Alaskan gold miner digging up mammoth bones instead, a foundation preventing rhino poaching by starting a football tournament, the art of taxidermy, and so much more.
As always, the festival presents special events tied to the subjects of films, and this year is no exception with several live concerts including a tribute to Frank Sinatra before the Community Drive-in movie on Friday night, “Frank Sinatra in Palm Springs: The Place He Called Home.”
The opening film this year, produced by DSU students in cooperation with DSU Films, profiles the unique Utah town of Leeds in “A Town for All Seasons.” An opening reception will be held at the DSU Eccles Fine Arts Center before the screening Sept 2.
“We were approached by Frank Lojko, who just retired as DSU VP for Government Relations and has been a great supporter of DOCUTAH,” Tuckett said. “He came up with a grant provided by generous support of Gary and Ann Crocker through the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, which he passed on to Mayor Wayne Peterson of Leeds for the purpose of doing a film on the sesquicentennial of Leeds. What we thought might be a small film about the 150th anniversary of this Utah town turned out to be an important film about a city with a unique place in the history of the settlement of the American West. Each time we went to research and shoot, we found something else which exposed the agricultural, mining, business, and pioneer importance of this place.”
“When planning the sesquicentennial, we felt this film gave us a great opportunity to capture the history of this place directly from citizens, who are advancing in age but whose families go back generations before it is lost forever,” noted Mayor Peterson. “They still have stories which are passed down from their ancestors.”
“DOCUTAH has cut out a very special niche, which has allowed it to succeed for 10 years” said Lojko. “That success comes from the quality and integrity of the small staff and those who volunteer to put in the kind of service to review the films and put all that sweat equity into the program. These are people who dedicate their time for something that is good for everyone. We have Sundance and DOCUTAH in the same state. Not many states have such quality film production and programs in one state.”
The schedule and full information on the films and special events is available at docutah.com.
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