Red Rock Film Festival 2026 Brings Independent Film to St. George |
Film festival tickets available |
In St. George, a familiar stage is making room for stories that rarely get a Hollywood spotlight.
Red Rock Film Festival 2026 is marking its twentieth anniversary with screenings through September 26 at the Performing Arts Center, bringing independent films from Utah and abroad to Southern Utah audiences.
The four-day lineup pairs work by local creators with films from Oscar- and Emmy-recognized filmmakers, giving moviegoers plenty to discover close to home.
Among the Utah-connected films, Park City filmmaker Jill Orschel’s documentary Snowland follows a former child bride from a Colorado City polygamist sect who builds a fantasy world as she searches for a path toward healing.
That is a difficult story, and its place in the program speaks to the festival’s willingness to make room for challenging subjects.
St. George itself becomes part of the action in Ben Blaskovic’s Ba Ba Bound, filmed entirely around the city, including at Pineview High School, with local residents appearing alongside German actors.
Another Utah production, Ephemera, UT, uses the sale of an upscale Boy Scout collection to examine generational priorities and wealth.
Filmed in Heber City and Park City, it offers a different view of the state from the one southern Utah audiences see every day.
The program also reaches well beyond Utah, with the Americas premiere of Still Spirits and the United States premiere of the Creole-language film The Coruskan.
One brings a supernatural encounter to a wildfire-threatened campground; the other follows a love triangle in a mountain village on Réunion Island.
Closer to home, the red-carpet world premiere of Wreckage examines the disappearance of a young farmer from Lucin, Utah.
Lights Out: Skate or Die takes a different route outdoors, following skateboarder Jason Ellis on a Utah coyote-hunting trip that helped persuade him to move to the state.
For anyone comparing film festival tickets, the schedule runs daily from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, 905 South Main Street.
Single-day and multi-day local passes are available online, and a second festival section is planned for Cedar City in November.
With its mix of neighborhood faces and faraway settings, this independent film festival offers a good reason to see what unfolds on a local screen. |
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Twenty years and they're still bringing in films from this far away. Hope the locals actually show up and support it.
MaureenDI went a couple years ago and the Performing Arts Center was pretty full for most of the evening screenings. People do show up, it just takes word of mouth.
Still Spirits at a wildfire campground sounds eerie. That one is going on my list for sure.
Greg_sgeoWildfire setting makes it feel even more unsettling. That combination of real danger and something supernatural sounds like it could stick with you.
A love triangle on Reunion Island sounds like a completely different world from southern Utah. That's exactly why I go to these things.
Four days of films running until 11pm is a lot. Nice that you can get a single day pass and not commit to the whole thing.
NathanRThat single day pass option is what got me to finally buy a ticket. No way I can do four full days but picking one evening feels very doable.
Cedar City getting a section in November is great news for those of us who can't always make it to St George.
Jason Ellis doing a coyote hunt in Utah and then deciding to move here is a pretty funny way to end up in the state.
Deanna FoxHa honestly that tracks. Plenty of people end up here for unexpected reasons. At least he has a good story to tell about it.
Tickets available online is nice but it would help to know the price range before committing.
Wreckage about that Lucin farmer disappearance sounds like it could be really gripping. Red carpet premiere here in town too.
PatriceWI had no idea Lucin even had a story like that. Looked it up after reading this and now I really want to see the film.
A Creole language film premiering in Southern Utah is not something I expected to read today. Cool.
josh_sgutahSame, honestly. That's what I like about this festival though. You'd never stumble across something like that on your own.
I always forget the Performing Arts Center on Main does stuff like this. Good reminder to actually go.
Ephemera UT sounds interesting. A Boy Scout collection documentary is not something you see every day.
German actors in St George, I did not see that coming. Curious how that turned out.
Sandra HoffmannRight? I heard some of the German actors had never been to the desert before. Would love to know what they thought of the heat.
Ba Ba Bound filmed right here at Pineview? That's wild. Wonder if any of my neighbors are in it.
The Snowland documentary sounds intense. Colorado City stories need to be told and I'm glad someone made a film about it.
TracyLynnIt really does. My cousin grew up near there and the stories she has told me over the years are hard to process. Glad a filmmaker is putting it on screen.
Twenty years is a big deal for any festival. Glad St George has kept this going.