DOCUTAH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2016 LINEUP; 62 FILMS EXPOSE WIDE RANGE OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Festival Also Includes Special Screenings of Five Films from IFC Documentary Now! Series

 

Saint George, UT — Dixie State University and the
DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival today announced its 2016 lineup. The Festival, which runs from September 6 through 10, receives submissions from all over the world with topics which cover all manner of human experience. The 62 films accepted for the Festival this year are, at times, ripped from the headlines of  recent world events or expose quirky habits of ordinary people or demonstrate the resiliency of the human spirit to overcome adversity. This year the Festival also includes an five additional special screenings of films from the award-winning Independent Film Channel’s series hosted by Helen Mirren, Documentary Now!

 

The films this year cover such intriguing subjects as:

  • A modern country with no military.
  • A devotee of a forgotten science called optography. 
  • People who live in storm sewers underneath the streets of Las Vegas. 
  • A tribute to the Breakfast Queen of Chicago. 
  • An 85-year-old college student. 
  • Young children training to run with the bulls of Spain. 
  • Conservation and industry coexisting in Borneo. 
  • An insanely popular comedy series; each episode 6 seconds long. 
  • Mango trees saving the lives of young Indian girls. 
  • A man obsessed with stealing NYC buses and subways then making all the correct stops. 
  • A Baltimore beatbox rapper teaming up with Mongolian throat singers. 
  • A politician who was Donald Trump long before Donald Trump was a politician. 
  • A Canadian Catholic Christmas tree salesman selling his wares in a NYC Jewish neighborhood to Atheists. 
  • The owner of a crooked auto wrecking company who goes into hiding from the law dressed as a woman and decides he likes it. 
  • Ghost towns of the American West seen through the eyes of a Frenchman.

 

 “Each year, we think the films submitted could not possible surpass the previous year and each year the quality astonishes us. It takes real passion to venture into the art of documentary, which is often a lonely pursuit in a world filled with commercialized studio films. That passion certainly shines through in this year’s selections, ,” said Phil Tuckett, Executive Director of DOCUTAH, Director of the Digital Film Program and Executive Director of DSU Films. The variety of subjects will bring audiences to places they have never known and allow them to experience a wide range of emotions from tears to laughter to inspiration.”

 

 

“DOCUTAH is unique not only because it is a pure documentary festival, but also because it is university supported, which allows both visitors and students to have easy access to this art form,” said Dr. Jeffery Jarvis, Dean of The College of Arts at DSU. “No matter where the films originate, they seem able to strike a chord in audiences and help them relate to universal human experiences.DOCUTAH brings together independent filmmakers, aspiring film students, citizens of the world and the Southern Utah community in an educational setting on the campus of Dixie State University.”

 

The DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival is held at Dixie State University in Saint George, Utah. The 2016 Festival runs from September 6 -10 and includes  a free series of intimate filmmaker chats, and special events, all within the beautiful scenery of Southern Utah’s red rock country.

 

About DOCUTAH
As part of Dixie State University’s academic component, DOCUTAH’s mission is to inspire a global connection through independent documentary films and audience access to filmmakers. DOCUTAH strives to enhance the education of independent filmmakers, aspiring film students, citizens of the world and the Community. DOCUTAH is one of the few university-sponsored film festivals in the United States. DOCUTAH provides an opportunity for students and amateur and professional filmmakers can discuss and advance their skills in the art of filmmaking.

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