2026 Official Selection & Tickets On Sale
The Orem Film Festival is back for year two on Wednesday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Megaplex Geneva in Vineyard. Ten short films, one night, three $1,000 prizes, and a lot of these filmmakers sitting in the room with you.
Tickets are $10 and include a free Swig drink coupon, thanks to Swig for coming back with us a second year. Every seat is luxury reserved seating.
Thank you to everyone who submitted this year. It was a highly competitive this year, and we ended up with a great lineup of documentary, animation, horror and drama. A little something for everyone.
Five of this year's films were made here in Utah. The other five come from filmmakers working across the country and overseas, and most of them have never played on a screen in Utah County.
The 2026 Official Selection
Made in Utah
A Love Letter to My Parents, directed by Mira Plummer Provo High School, 1990. Charles and Erica come from opposite kinds of Mormon households, fall in love anyway, and get pregnant at 16. What everyone around them calls a tragedy, they see as a chance to finally be together.
Dear Pelican, directed by John Meier As the Great Salt Lake recedes, thousands of American White Pelicans abandon their nesting grounds on Gunnison Island. Students from Emerson Elementary carry their story to the Utah State Capitol in poetry.
Do Not Watch, directed by Andy Matthews and Aaron Tharp After an argument with his wife, Nick starts digitizing a box of old family home videos and finds something that was never meant to be seen.
I Hid My Heart Inside My Head, directed by Luis Fernando Puente A Mormon man wrestles with his faith as he comes to terms with the approaching death of his wife. Tension rises when the men of his congregation arrive to give the frail woman a healing blessing.
Suction, directed by KoDie King Romero A young woman trying to build a perfect home is pitted against a demonic vacuum set on tearing her world apart.
From outside Utah
And The Moon Bloomed, directed by Stanley Q-Brick A LEGO stop-motion film about a corporation that sets out to commercialize life on the Moon after a groundbreaking discovery, and what sits between nature and the machine.
Baggage, directed by Lucy Davidson Three friends check their bags at the airport, but one is carrying more than the others. As the luggage moves toward security, can she hide what is inside? Stop-motion from a director selected by the Aardman Animation Studios Academy.
Moderator, directed by Eli Staub An immersive drama following a day in the life of a social media content moderator, based on true anonymous accounts.
Relationship to Patient, directed by Caroline Creaghead A woman arrives at the hospital to visit the man she is dating, and on the way to his bedside she begins to question whether she belongs there.
Running Late, directed by Alistair Nicholls A stop-motion film about a surreal morning routine, from a Norwich-based director whose clients include Burberry, Amnesty International, and Nickelodeon.
Live Filmmaker Q&As
All 10 films play in every auditorium. The live Q&As only happen in two of them. If there is a filmmaker you want to hear from, book your seat in their auditorium.
Auditorium 8: Suction, A Love Letter to My Parents, I Hid My Heart Inside My Head
Auditorium 9: Moderator, Do Not Watch, Dear Pelican
Three awards, $1,000 each
We give away $3,000 on the night, in cash, to the filmmakers.
Jury Prize for Best Short. All ten films are eligible. Judged on originality, technical execution, narrative strength, emotional impact, and artistic vision.
Audience Choice Award. After the final film, scan the QR code on screen and vote for your favorite.
Utah Emerging Filmmaker Award. Open to the five Utah films, recognizing an early-career filmmaker.
Meet the jury
Special thank you to our passionate Jury, made of up of critics, filmmakers, and movie lovers who closely evaluated our 10 official selections and choose the winner of the Emerging Filmmaker Award and the Jury Prize. We are lucky to have them.
Scott Renshaw, Arts and Entertainment Editor and film critic, Salt Lake City Weekly. Primary film critic since 2001, founding member of the Online Film Critics Society, and past president of the Utah Film Critics Association.
Carli Mahas, Production Coordinator, Utah Film Commission. More than a decade in film production support, state film incentives, and workforce development.
Derek Mellus, Production Manager, Utah Film Commission. With the commission since 2007, and previously ran the Utah Arts Festival's Fear No Film for seven years.
Jahanara Saleh, Filmmaking Professor and Program Coordinator, Southern Utah University. An award-winning filmmaker born and raised in Iran whose work has screened internationally.
Mekhai Lee, writer and director. His short Them That's Not won the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, making it Academy Award eligible, and took the Audience Award at our 2025 festival. He knows exactly what this night feels like from the other side.
Quian Redfern, film critic, The Reel Fella. A Utah-based editor, producer, and critic covering film, sports, and culture.
Thank you to the people who make this possible
Swig is back for a second year with a free drink for every guest. Megaplex Geneva is hosting us again and giving these films a real screen. This year the Utah Film Commission came on as a sponsor for the first time! And we run under the fiscal sponsorship of the Utah Film Center, who have supported us since the beginning.
See you on the 23rd
Hi, I'm Trevor Allen, a local filmmaker from Orem. I created OFF as a place where professional filmmakers, film students, hobbyists, art lovers, and passionate storytellers can all come together to showcase the incredible work being made right here in our state.
Last year 610 guests completely filled our auditoriums all the way to the front rows! I’m looking forward for another great year of films with all of you this year. Come spend a the night with independent film and our community of movie lovers. See you at the movies!
When: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Megaplex Theatres at Geneva, 600 Mill Rd, Vineyard, UT 84058
Tickets: $10, includes a free Swig drink coupon and luxury reserved seating
Questions: trevor@oremfilmfestival.com
