Park City Film, the town’s art house nonprofit, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this season, and Executive Director Katharine Wang says its longevity is due to the local community’s love for independent film.

“What I love about being the director of Park City Film is that I know I can bring in films that are kind of outside of the mainstream,” she said. “Park City Film has created generations of people who are willing to be pushed beyond their comfort level in terms of what they are willing to see and stories they are willing to engage with and conversations they are willing to be a part of. That’s what people look to us for. They want to know what else is out there, what stories are being told around the world — in India, in Korea, in rural Arkansas.”

While those stories are unique to those places and people, there are commonalities with the stories of local residents, according to Wang.

One example is Matteo Garrone’s 2023 Academy Award-nominated documentary “Io Capitano,”’ which is about migrants coming from Africa into Europe,” she said. 

“It’s so far away, but it may be part of your story,” Wang said. “My father was a refugee from China, so I see these stories and his journey, and it has a touch point in my own personal history.”

These types of films remind the local community about the common bond it shares as humans, according to Wang.

“I think everyone has that recognition and how empowering it is to know you’re not alone and that you have this connection with people on the other side of the world,” she said. “But it’s also about the differences that make us unique and what is so beautiful about the human tapestry. That’s certainly what we’re trying to do with our new season.”

Park City Film will kick off the season this weekend with Josh Margolin’s “Thelma,” rated PG-13. Other films include Darcy Wittenburg, Darren McCullough and Colin Jones’ “Anytime,” rated PG, (See September’s screenings below).

Josh Margolin, seen here when he visited The Park Record photo studio during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, is the director, screenwriter and editor on his passion project film “Thelma,” which will kick off the Park City Film’s 30th anniversary season this weekend. The film, which premiered at this year’s festival tells the true story of his 93-year-old grandmother, Thelma Post, who finds herself on the wrong end of a scammer phone call demanding money. Margolin says the incident was such an emotionally impactful experience that he decided to write a screenplay and tell her story. In the film, rather than wallowing in self-pity, the grandmother, played by June Squibb, decides to set out for justice and revenge. Credit: David Jackson/Park Record

“The overarching theme with our 30th anniversary is celebrating independent cinema and the beauty of film exhibition, and we’re doing things slightly differently this season,” Wang said. “We certainly have a great lineup planned that will certainly entice people of all ages to come in with their friends, family members and new people in town to create community and enjoy some fantastic stories.”

Many of the weekend screenings came from past Sundance Film Festivals, Wang said.

“These are films I think people appreciate,” she said. “We’ve also looked at curating our special screenings that usually screen on Thursday night. And we’re trying to be perhaps a little bit more eclectic in our mix.”

Dutch-Ghanian athlete Akwasi Frimpong, who now lives in Salt Lake City, is the subject of the short documentary “Black Ice.” Park City Film will screen the film and host an in-person discussion with Frimpong on Sept. 19. The event will serve as a fundraiser for his nonprofit, Hope of a Billion Foundation. Credit: Courtesy of Park City Film

Special screenings include the short film “Black Ice” that is part of an evening with Olympian Akwasi Frimpong, as well as an encore screening of Conor Hagen’s documentary, “High Country,” not rated, Wang said. 

When programming this month, Wang and her staff looked at many adventure documentaries.

“We do these in the fall because ski season is starting to come upon us,” she said. “But we also select other documentaries that speak to the ethos of our community. So, we look at everything from green businesses to female entrepreneurship to a celebration of community — hitting all of those touch points and inviting people back to the theater.”

Getting people into the theater is one of the main missions of Park City Film, Wang said.

“I think film exhibition for the past couple of years with COVID and the (Writers Guild of America) strike has made things a little unsteady and unpredictable in terms of what products are available,” she said. “Sure you can watch films at home, but when you’re in the theater, the joy comes from just the emoting — the gasps of admiration and excitement and the jumps of seeing something new, thrilling and unexpected — and having those conversations afterwards.”

Showing emotion during a film is something Wang looks forward to.

“Hearing someone laughing or crying next to you gives you permission to be more expressive than you might otherwise allow yourself to be,” she said. “I think people are surprised at how intense things can be in a good way because it’s such an immersive experience with the sound and the sights. It doesn’t matter if it’s a comedy or drama. There’s something unique and extremely special about seeing it in the theater.”

The 30th anniversary kind of snuck up on Wang, she said.

“Our 25th anniversary was in 2020, and it was hard to do anything then,” she said, laughing. “So, we’re taking this time to remind people to come out and see movies in movie theaters.”

Park City Film’s 30th Anniversary screenings for September

Darcy Wittenburg, Darren McCullough and Colin Jones’ “Anytime” follows a group of adventure-seeking mountain bikers. The non-narrative action film is part of Park City Film’s 30th anniversary season. Credit: Photo by Paris Gore Photography/courtesy of Park City Film
  • 6-8 — “Thelma,” directed by Josh Margolin, rated PG-13

2024 Sundance Film Festival premiere, and a take on the action-adventure heist film about a 90-year-old woman who falls victim to a phone scammer. Wine and beer available for purchase. 

  • 12 — “Anytime,” directed by Darcy Wittenburg, Darren McCullough and Colin Jones, Family Film Fest screening rated PG

It’s a new, free-ride mountain-bike film from Anthill Films and Red Bull Media House that celebrates athleticism and the joy of hitting your highest potential.

  • 13-15 — “Good One,” directed by India Donaldson, rated R

A 2024 Sundance Film Festival premiere, “Good One” is a coming-of-age story about a young high-school senior and lesbian who goes on a camping trip with two divorced men — her dad and her dad’s best friend.

  • 19 — “Black Ice,” an evening with Olympian Akwasi Frimpong, Raising Voices Series screening, not rated

Akwasi Frimpong is a Dutch-Ghana athlete who became the first Black male skeleton Olympian, and the film is about his journey. He created Hope of a Billion Foundation to serve the Black community. Tickets are $10 for general admission and free for students. Proceeds will benefit the Hope of a Billion Foundation, and he and Emily Fisher, executive director of the Youth Sports Alliance, and a couple of athletes, will participate in a discussion.

  • 20-22 — “Sugarcane,” directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, rated R

Winner of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award: U.S. Documentary, in English and Secwepemctsin, with English subtitles, about the impact an Indigenous boarding school had on a Canadian community and how the community is facing and dealing with the generational trauma.

  • 27-29 — “Widow Clicquot,” directed by Thomas Napper, rated R

Based on the interesting true story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (1777–1866) who, at the age of 20, became Madame Clicquot after marrying François Clicquot, the scion of a winemaking family and who revolutionized the champagne industry after deciding to carry on the family’s legacy after his death.  

  • 30 — “High Country,” by Conor Hagen, Reel Community Series screening, not rated

This is a celebration and farewell to Miles Rademan, who founded Leadership Park City. This year marks his 30th class. The film looks at the residents of Crested Butte, Colorado, formerly including Rademan, who appears in the film, and how they retain the spirit and soul of the community while they face so much development. 

For information, visit parkcityfilm.org.