St. George Gets Wild, Weird and Unhinged
April 21, 2025 – St. George, UT
Red Rock Film Festival’s Award Night – Starting as a film series in 2004, Southern Utah’s Red Rock Film Festival is back, diving into the unexpected. On April 21, St. George’s Electric Theater hosts the winners from last year’s Festival, including Best Animation, Best Fiction and Best Documentary along with clips from the Best Features selected from hundreds of films.
“For Eric”, by German filmmakers Christopher Schlierf and Ben Blaskovic, follows a man confronting his past in the Utah desert. As part-time St. George residents, the directors bring a personal touch to the Utah landscapes, making a deeply emotional story.
Winner of Best Cinematography in a Documentary Short, Joseph Adam LeBaron’s The Whales of the High Desert blurs the lines between legend and reality, exploring the 19th-century myth of whales in the Great Salt Lake!
Arjan Brentjes’ “The Grand Book” is a 1920s-inspired dystopian animation blending silent-era aesthetics with German expressionism in a world of omnipresent surveillance of film cameras, where dreams become an escape from reality. Red Rock Grand Jury member and executive producer of Oscar® nominated animated short “Ninety-Five Senses” praised its “Beautiful production design with an interesting use of 3D graphics.” Similarly, “Le Charade”, a stop-motion comedy by Erika Totoro, explores identity through the perspective of a mime struggling with loneliness in a 1950s diner.
“Space Coast”, directed by Justin Barber, captures the anticipation surrounding the Artemis-1 launch while highlighting the skepticism of a Space Shuttle Program veteran. News & Documentary Emmy nominee and Grand Jury member Brad Barber (no relation) said,
“The imagery was startling, and the stakes felt high. The filmmakers effectively capture multiple, complicated aspects of this latest launch.”
“Strangers Under My Skin” takes an artistic approach to mortality, portraying an aging, blind painter who regains his vision in his final moments, allowing him to create one last masterpiece.
In Zoe Zheng’s “What She Didn’t Know” a colorblind girl experiences color through playing the piano. Hand-drawn animation emphasizes the emotional depth, creativity and perception. Frédérique Buck’s “You Kai” blends animation and live-action to depict a refugee’s imagined escape from displacement, reflecting on survival and hope. Grand Jury member and Oscar® nominee Tom Van Avermaet said, “I loved how the filmmakers created an inventive world to show the harsh reality of refugees in Calais through the eyes of one lost girl.”
Playing right after Easter, these films promise themes of transformation, resilience, and self-discovery. Whether through the rediscovery of a lost past, the power of dreams, or the reinvention of identity, the Red Rock Film Festival’s Awards Night remains a must-see event.
For these “fresh perspectives and groundbreaking cinema,” come to the Electric Theater on 68 E Tabernacle St, Saint George on Monday, April 21 at 7 pm. General Admission is Free at the door or get reserved seating for just $5 in advance at redrockfilmfestival.eventive.org/passes/buy.
Filmmakers wanting to enter the next season may submit films at filmfreeway.com/redrockfilmfestival – The Late Deadline is April 23, 2025.
