As a kid, Orem Film Festival founder Trevor Allen believed that movies were made by God and sent down to Earth for humans to watch. Although he eventually learned that movies were made by real-life people filming, producing and acting, the wonder and profoundness of film stuck with him.
“It’s kind of the most electric art form where it’s a combination of every discipline. It’s all the art forms combined into one,” Allen said.
The festival is Sept. 24 at Megaplex’s Geneva location, showing 10 short films selected by Allen and his team.
The founder’s inspiration
Allen calls himself a “hobbyist filmmaker,” making films with his buddies and creating memories. His favorite film he’s made was a cooking tutorial of his dad making pretzels, a fond childhood memory Allen wanted to capture on film. The thing that draws him the most to the filmmaking process is the collaboration demanded by it.
“No other art form, maybe music, is one where you have to collaborate with other people. Even the worst movie ever made was a miracle that it was finished in the first place,” he said.
Feeling discouraged and disconnected by sitting at a computer screen for eight hours a day, Allen saw an opportunity in a film festival for people to connect. “I want this to be a really fun, in-person community event where people can come together united in their love for film,” he said.
Spotlighting Utah filmmakers
Allen uplifts local filmmakers by creating an award exclusively for Utah filmmakers, the Emerging Filmmaker Award. The festival also offers two additional awards, the Jury’s Prize for Best Short and Audience Choice, voted on by audience members in attendance. Award recipients are announced and awarded at the after party following film screenings.
Film submissions are accepted until the extended deadline of July 24 and will be judged based on technical and creative qualities such as audio quality, acting and originality. International and national filmmakers are invited to submit but the majority of selected films will be by local Utah filmmakers. Uplifting Utah voices is a focus of the festival and highlighting Utah’s filmmakers and film-lovers.
“We have such a unique culture here and there’s a unique sense of humor that I feel doesn’t always get represented in the more broader film scene,” he said. “People will resonate [with] seeing films in local locations.”
Audience engagement
A huge focus for Allen in the festival is to make the audience’s experience enjoyable and accessible. “It’s only one little event but I wanted to do my own, small part to contribute a tangible experience for people to gather and watch films,” he said.
Five dollars doesn’t get you much in 2025 but it gets you a ticket to the Orem Film Festival and a goodie bag with a free Swig voucher. The night starts at 7 p.m. showing 10 short films with Q&A sessions in between screenings.
“I want them to have an awesome time engaging with local artists and have a sense of community,” Allen said. He hopes for the festival not only to be a good experience for attendees but also for filmmakers and creatives. “Maybe they can meet some new friends and potentially start working on new projects.”
In addition to the festival main event, the community is invited to attend a free outdoor movie night. Held at the Classic Skating & Fun Center in Orem on Aug. 22, film-lovers can connect with like-minded groups to watch the coming-of-age musical “Sing Street” and connect with other film-lovers.
Kristi Dial | Jul 10, 2025 at 9:24 am
Great article! This gets me so excited to celebrate the talent and creativity of our Utah film makers. Thank you to Trevor for your vision, and dedication in organizing this epic event.