(L-R: Tumbleweeds theater screening, kids participating in a stop-motion workshop, exploring vintage animation at the Clubhouse)

Salt Lake City, UT – Utah Film Center is proud to present the in-person return of the Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville from May 20th – 22nd, 2022 and online from May 20th – 29th! Tumbleweeds, the Mountain West’s only international film festival for families, presents new, culturally-enriching, curated cinema for ages 4 and up, as well as drop-in Clubhouse activities and film-focused workshops for kids. The festival commences with an opening night screening of Maika on Friday, May 20 and continues with film screenings and Clubhouse activities on Saturday and Sunday, which are accessible via a $6 day pass. Workshops are available via pre-registration for $10. The virtual festival offers a  program of select films, available online from May 20-29.

Julie Gale, Director of Education and Family Programs said, “We’re delighted to share this year’s lineup of international and independent children’s cinema. The films highlight themes of space exploration, life on other planets, children overcoming enormous challenges, and kids with superpowers. While the films are appropriate for kids around age 13 and younger, we think they’ll also appeal to our much older viewers that are young at heart.” 

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

This year’s Festival features the best animation and live-action film from around the world, and offers opportunities to participate in our media arts workshops and explore a variety of activities designed to balance visual content, active play, and critical thinking in our Clubhouse.

Our overall theme is EXTRAORDINARY KIDS DOING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS. 

What’s new in 2022:

• New location at Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville This new location for the festival offers a central location for attendees across the Salt Lake Valley. The Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center is a beautiful new Salt Lake County venue for performances and rehearsals.
• Affordable all-day passes for Saturday and for Sunday! All film screenings and Clubhouse activities are included in a $6 day pass for Saturday and/or Sunday, with admission to the theater first come, first served. (The expectation is that there will be space for all who want to attend a screening.) Day passes include public transportation on UTA to and from the festival.
• Virtual festival field trips across the state of Utah! Utah Film Center is offering virtual in-classroom field trips for classrooms in Utah. Virtual field trips include film screenings followed by a professionally led post-film discussion, plus workshops on animation and virtual reality. Screenings also include a curriculum-linked study guide created by Utah Film Center’s Media Education department for educators to continue the conversation inspired by the film as part of their classroom activities. Field trips are offered May 3-June 3 and are free to attend for public schools and home-schooled students. To reserve your spot or learn more visit tumbleweedskids.org/teachers.
• New workshops and Clubhouse activities! (Plus some favorites from the past)  The Festival’s workshops will connect kids directly with experts in virtual reality, sound effects, filmmaking, film technologies, and more to deepen their appreciation for storytelling and inspire them to dig deeper into the elements of a story. The Festival’s free Clubhouse activities will bring a buzz of excitement to the atrium and courtyard of the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center on Saturday and Sunday, These drop-in activities are included in the day passl, and are designed to engage the creative spirit and energy of our participants.

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MEDIA RESOURCES: 

For photos of past Tumbleweeds festivals visit our press folder here: tumbleweedskids.org/media-kit

Utah Film Center issues complimentary passes and ticket requests for working members of the media and their families. Please reach out to Jenn Blum, jblum@utahfilmcenter.org) if you wish to cover the Festival and experience it with your family.

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ABOUT UTAH FILM CENTER’S TUMBLEWEEDS FILM FESTIVAL: 

Utah Film Center’s Tumbleweeds Film Festival is an annual film festival for kids, ages 4 and up. Launched in 2011, Tumbleweeds provides opportunities for film lovers of all ages to engage their creative spirit, and bridge cultures by experiencing films whose stories transcend geographic, cultural, and political boundaries. Past Festival films include A Monster in Paris, The Eagle Huntress, Science Fair, Supa Modo, Oddball, Long Way North (Tout en haut du monde), Eleanor’s Secret, My Friend Raffi, I Learn America, Rainbow, and Ernest & Celestine. Films at Tumbleweeds are screened in their original language. Foreign language screenings are presented with English subtitles that will be read over listening devices by a “subtitle reader” for audience members who prefer an English dialogue track..

For more information, visit tumbleweedskids.org

2022 Tumbleweeds Film Festival is generously supported by University of Utah Health, S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Utah Office of Tourism, Utah Transit Authority, The Kahlert Foundation, and our family sponsors.

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Utah Film Center

Utah Film Center utilizes the power of film to educate, inspire, and engage Utahns, transcending political, geographic, cultural, and religious boundaries to highlight human experiences from around the world. Utah Film Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more information visit utahfilmcenter.org.

Utah Film Center programs are publicly funded by Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP), Utah Divisions of Arts and Museums, National Endowment for the Arts, and Salt Lake City Arts Council.