Everybody loves a night out at the movies, and if you are a film buff, you know that Park City is a big little mountain town that appreciates a good flick. Park City Film is a very special part of our community, in that it uses film as a medium to entertain, inspire and educate, helping to create a well-informed and engaged mountain community. Their mission is to create community through film, and they’ve really done an excellent job of doing that in Park City, bringing people together around new ideas and storytelling.
How Park City Film Got Started and What It Is
Established in 1995 as a project of the Park City Arts Council, Park City Film is a single-screen, non-profit art-house cinema. Located at the Park City Library, in the Jim Santy Auditorium, Park City Film brings independent films and film-related events to the greater Park City/Summit County community that are not generally available through commercial outlets and uses film as a catalyst for engaged community dialogue. Park City Film partners with Sundance to bring some of the festival's favorite films back to the Park City screen all year long. They showcase independent, foreign language/world cinema and documentary films on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights during their film season. Park City Film also has an extensive network of nonprofit partners that they elevate through film by pairing a motion picture with an engaging discussion to speak to the content of the film. These discussions and movies are based on topics that the community is gravitating around and help to elevate the community dialogue around these specific issues.
Highlights
Some upcoming highlights for Park City Film are their beloved Twilight Drive-in Movies at the Utah Olympic Park, which was one of those Covid pivots that ended up being an amazing addition to the community. PC Film sees the drive-in as a different and fun way to engage the community with content for all ages out under the stars that usually revolve around adventurous topics such as films like The Alpinist and Free Solo.
In addition to the Twilight Drive-in, this summer, Park City Film is partnering with Park City Library and Basin Recreation to host a couple of free movie screenings for kids on the Library patio on July 22nd and Aug 5th.
If you come out for a film at the Santy Auditorium you’ll be delighted by the little touches that really do make the whole experience feel very community-focused. There is a common love for the cinema that gives seeing a movie with Park City Film a very different feeling than at a commercial movie theater. From the community partnerships, handpicked curated film selection, popcorn bar with an abundance of seasonings, and raffles, these touches are what make a PC Film experience unique, and what makes Park City, Park City.
What Park City Film is Looking Forward To
Katharine Wang, Executive Director of Park City Film, is looking forward to brand new seats in the Santy Auditorium, which has been a long 5-year journey that will hopefully elevate the film-watching experience for all. Also, Park City Film is starting a new film series this Fall called “Raising Voices” that will be representing communities and cultures that are traditionally underrepresented in the arts including the black experience, LGBTQ, Trans, ageism, ableism, and more.
Park City Film is really looking forward to their inspiring summer line up. Head to their website for all the details on their upcoming screenings through September:
July 28- Aug 25 - Twilight Drive-in at Utah Olympic Park film screenings - every Thursday evening
Sept 9-11 - Opening weekend for the 2022/23 season at the Jim Santy Auditorium
If discovering new films excites you and you are interested in learning about an array of topics that the Park City community is curious about head out to a screening with Park City Film, and find a likeminded group of people looking to engage in new ideas.
