The Utah Dance Film Festival is a 501(c)(3), an international dance film festival, an arts education organization and a catalyst for movers and filmmakers to connect, collaborate and create.
We host an annual international film festival - submissions are open from September to December, and we screen accepted films in February at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah. During this weekend, we also offer dance and film workshop programming from local and international dance and film artists. Our awards showcase features the winning films, as well as live performances by Utah dance artists like Junction Dance Company, Salt Contemporary Dance and BYU's Contemporary Dance Theater. The annual festival is sponsored in part by the Utah Film Commission.
UDFF also hosts a yearly 24 hour film competition, called MOVE. Participants need not use dance, only showcase the limitless potential of human movement. MOVE is held each September in downtown Provo, Utah, and the winning films are entered into the international film festival.
Our summer series, ACTION! Dance for Film Workshops, is a weekend of classes and filming experiences that takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each year, ACTION! participants get to star in a dance film, and the weekend culminates with a live installation-style multimedia performance called THE SHOW. Guests have included Chelsie Hightower, Tony Bellissimo, David Moore, Dana Wilson, Ivan Koumanev and Marty Kudelka.

Awards & Prizes

We award outstanding films in our festival for the following categories:

Documentary
Costuming
Editing
Sound Design
Choreography for a Lens
Directing
Ensemble Performance
Cinematography
Audience Choice

For the 2019 festival, we are introducing a photography contest! Submissions from photographers can be made either as a professional or as a student, and outstanding selections will be awarded in the following categories:

DEEPER PERSPECTIVE
In this category, we ask the photographer to submit both a series of images and a body of text that tells the story behind the images. Judges weight both the text and images equally.

SPECIAL PROCESS
This category encompasses digitally enhanced imagery, which can include night photography, stitched panoramas or other special effects.

EVENT
This category covers photographs from competitive events, social causes or gatherings, traditions or cultures.

ARCHITECTURE
This category includes dance imagery featuring bridges, buildings, cityscapes, historic landmarks, interiors or industrial sites.

UTAH
This category features photographs showcasing a landscape or landmark in our state.

Rules & Terms

All films submitted will be reviewed by the festival directors and official selections will be announced on January 12th, 2019.
UDFF draws audiences of all ages, so we may request that you slightly alter your submission in order to have your work screened.
UDFF does not offer distribution, we are a platform that showcases works of screen dance and presents awards for outstanding films.
Upon submitting your film to UDFF, you agree to allow our directors to utilize your work to promote our event, screenings and workshops.
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  • Liudmila Komrakova

    We are honored to have our film officially selected for the festival. It is the festival with highly developed advertising of films through social media and open minded and diversified selection of films of different genres and dances.

    March 2018
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