Red Rock Film Festival comes to Cedar City for 20th anniversary
The 20th Annual Red Rock Film Festival presents its Cedar City section November 18 through 21 at the Cedar Fun Center. Different films from the Utah Film Market screen each day during the public event, which runs from 1 to 11 p.m. at 170 East Fiddlers Canyon Road. Programming centers on family, freedom, human resilience and connections to the wider world, described by organizers as a friendly contrast to repetitive messages from Hollywood and Facebook.
Two dramas at the Cedar City screenings explore personal struggles and endurance. Marko Naberšnik’s Whites Wash at Ninety follows Bronja after she receives a cancer diagnosis following her mother’s death from the same disease. Sonnie Lee’s The Distance We Drift depicts a Hong Kong immigrant who reunites with a former lover in London and confronts memories, emotional distance and questions of belonging.
Comedy enters the lineup with Dmitry Nikolenko’s My Boyfriend, a Mannequin. The film presents a Pygmalion-style fantasy in which a woman discovers an enchanted young man invisible to everyone else and attempts to break the spell placed on him.
Documentaries examine institutions, accountability and protection of vulnerable subjects. Emmy-winning director Sharon Liese’s Seized investigates a controversial police raid on a Kansas newspaper and the resulting questions about press freedom and constitutional rights. Abraham Joffe’s Trade Secret, filmed over six years across 13 countries, follows three allies probing the commercial trade in polar bears and whether those entrusted with wildlife protection may contribute to its exploitation. Joffe has previously won multiple awards from the Red Rock Film Festival.
Films focused on musical journeys and artistic expression under pressure include Ishues, directed by Scott Montgomery, Kevin Neynaber and Philip Romero. The documentary follows musician PM Romero and singer Ishmael Herring, who is experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, on a journey featuring DMC of Run-DMC, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Brenton Wood. Fiona Young’s UFM: Unbroken: The Untold Story of Shen Yun investigates alleged intimidation of the internationally touring dance company and the intersection of artistic expression, faith and political power.
Baseball history receives a character-study treatment in Alone on the Mound, directed by John Jeffrey Condit and Tom Friend. The documentary explores pitcher Eric Show’s troubled life and includes Pete Rose’s final studio interview, recorded before his death in 2024.
Cedar City screenings follow earlier St. George presentations of Taylor Olson’s What We Dreamed of Then and Jill Orschel’s Snowland, which prompted requests for repeat showings. Several short films supplement the features. The festival runs November 18 to 21 from 1 to 11 p.m. at the Cedar Fun Center on 170 East Fiddlers Canyon Road in Cedar City, Utah. Advance passes are available online, including a Locals Pass option that accepts the venue zip code as a discount code.
