ST. GEORGE — More quality films will be screened at the Red Rock Film Festival than organizers expected and tickets are on sale now for the January event.

The Second Section of the Red Rock Film Festival will be combined with the Utah Film Market Jan. 12-14, 2023, at the Megaplex Theatres Pineview Stadium on 2376 Red Cliffs Drive in Saint George. Tickets and passes are available now on the website.

The Festival showcases Feature Films, also known as Shorts, which are five minutes or shorter. And other films will be Features or Long Forms, which are 30-59 minutes in length. 

“I can’t speak for all the filmmakers, but I’m thinking they’re only submitting if they consciously know that the film is up to par, up to a certain quality they know that it’s maybe marketable in the independent spectrum,” Matt Marxteyn, festival director, said.

A relatively new category exclusively for Utah filmmakers also had more entries this year than in years past. Entries are accepted from around the world. And there are usually films submitted from France and Germany. He said this year, movies were from all corners of the globe, including Iran and Portugal.

“They keep getting better and better,” Marxteyn said. “We had so many good entries. We always have to try to predict. When we started inviting filmmakers, we had to predict how many films we would have.

“There’s a common misconception about film festivals. They just open up a catalog and pick and choose films because we’re mostly competition. And to be fair to the filmmaker, we have to score and review all those films.”

Washington City resident and director Dan Fowlks’ “Shred of Decency” competes for Best Fiction Feature. And Cedar City local and director Caleb Sean Hatton’s “La Plata Del Real” will also be featured. 

The Utah Film Market portion of the festival features film buyers who can view the films and perhaps expand them into a feature film in a longer format. 

One of the challenges the festival has had was bouncing back from the COVID pandemic and he appreciates the community’s support. 

“Here we hope to see more of the film buyers. After 2020 it is really hard for people to come back to attend festivals, especially from out of state,” Marxteyn said. 

But he is optimistic due to the high volume of entries to the festival, which takes safety precautions and allows patrons to decide whether to wear masks.

He said in 2020 and 2021, the film festival slowed down, but this year it started to pick up with increased submissions and the quality of submissions. 

“I think that a lot of filmmakers aren’t taking so many chances with their films,” Marxteyn said. “The other issue is that Netflix and some other streaming services are trying to take the films before they even go to the festival circuit.” 

He said the festival circuit has changed since video streaming services began.

“I personally like to see films in the theater,” Marxteyn said. “It’s a whole different experience. And theaters are beefing up; they’re getting bigger chairs and sound systems, and it’s totally immersive.”

He said many of these independent films are only available during festivals and many are not going to be available anywhere else. 

Marxteyn said organizers will offer workshops and interviews with Q&A segments. The programming will be posted on their website when the schedule is confirmed. All the movies, both in person and online, will be listed. He said that the online version began in 2020, but 2023 may be the last time the films will be offered online to the general public.

According to a news release, the festival portion had 15 nominated categories from fiction, documentary, animation, dance and collegiate. Music Video and Young Filmmaker are returning after a one-year hiatus, and the most popular categories include Best Documentary Feature with 18 nominees, Best Fiction Short with 14 nominees and Utah Filmmaker with a record 11 nominees. 

Marxteyn said some films were nominated for multiple categories, such as Faith E. Briggs and Tim Kemple’s “Who is a Runner” documentary short series. They have four films at the festival. And Dr. Katia Moritz and Nicholas Miller’s “Undiagnosed” compete for Utah Filmmaker and Documentary Feature.

Other Utah entries include films; 

• “AWAiRE,” director Jack Hessler
• “Chinatown Runners,” directors Faith E. Briggs and Tim Kemple
• “Erin McGrady,” directors Tim Kemple and Faith Briggs
• “La Plata Del Real,” director Caleb Sean Hatton from Cedar City, Utah
• “Lovers Retreat,” director Brandon Carraway
• “Prolyfyck,” directors Faith Briggs and Tim Kemple
• “Rosalie Fish,” directors Faith E. Briggs and Tim Kemple
• “Scraps,” director Tony J Rivas
• “Shred of Decency,” director Dan Fowlks
• “The Man in the Tree,” director Weber Keith Griffiths
• “Undiagnosed,” directors Dr. Katia Moritz, Nicholas Miller

Many of the directors like the philosophy of the film festival.

“We like the Red Rock Film Festival’s statement, ‘where heroes are flawed and villains can have a change in character, stories that are less obvious, the uncharted territory of independent film.’ We think our band video fits perfectly,” said Marco Rihs, director of the music video “Kings Mood – Empire.”

The festival’s roots go back to 2004 when it was called Zion Flicks and was held in Springdale at the OC Tanner Amphitheater. The festival, now known as Red Rock, is in its 16th year.

Tickets for short programs are $3 and features for $10, with day passes ranging from $25 to $50 and are listed here.

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