The Red Rock Film Festival returns to Cedar City September 24–27, filling Frontier Homestead State Park with premieres, documentaries, shorts, and animation from around the world. With flexible passes and affordable ticket options, cinephiles can dive into multiple genres and discover new voices in filmmaking.
Premieres and Documentaries
Headlining the festival is the world premiere of This is Pike County (USA), a powerful documentary about a rural community rocked by an unsolved murder. Additional documentaries include Blue Zeus (USA), an investigation into corruption in the wild horse program; Goddess of Slide (Canada), the story of pioneering slide guitarist Ellen McIlwaine; and The Chaplain & The Doctor (USA), about the connection between a chaplain and trauma physician in Oakland.
Dramatic Features
On the fiction side, Water Lilies (Korea) portrays the struggles of two women in Seoul, while The Aegean (Australia) follows a widowed fisherman and a troubled teen on a transformative journey. Adding levity, Operation Taco Gary’s (USA) is a road-trip comedy packed with star power, including Dustin Milligan, Brenda Song, Jason Biggs, Simon Rex, and Doug Jones.
Utah Talent on Screen
Utah filmmakers take the spotlight with The Angel, a folk horror set in Southern Utah, and Free to a Good Home, a dark comedy about a mother replacing her daughter’s cat. Two moving documentaries round out the local entries: Standout: The Ben Kjar Story, about a wrestler born with a facial difference, and Ride in Paradise, following a father’s mission of comfort through teddy bear deliveries.
Shorts Across the Globe
Short-form storytelling brings diverse voices, from U.S. works like What the River Knows, exploring submerged beauty in Lake Powell, and The Believers, which dives into a secret tattoo tradition, to Chance of Rain, a supernatural drama, and Darcine’s Day, tackling homelessness in Los Angeles.
International shorts include The Sweet Perfume (Iran), Pierre West (Sweden), Hearts of Stone (Belgium, Croatia), Good Luck, Sara! (Bosnia & Herzegovina), and Tank (UK), offering surreal and moving perspectives.
Animation by Women Directors
This year’s animation block is dominated by women directors from across the U.S., with projects like Stacia Black’s Bwinky’s Little Big World of Love, Michelle Richmond’s Inkwashed!, Luna McKee’s Lost Track, Amina Ömirjan’s Ümit, and Breanna Lawton and Ashley Hayden’s Whittle Me This.
When and Where
The Red Rock Film Festival runs September 24–27 from 1 to 11 PM daily at Frontier Homestead State Park, 635 N. Main St., Cedar City. Tickets are available at the door, with free gifts and offers for advance purchases at redrockfilmfestival.eventive.org.
With premieres, local talent, and global perspectives, the festival continues its tradition of bringing diverse voices and creative storytelling to Southern Utah audiences.
