Slamdance Celebrates “30 Years of Anarchy” with its Most Diverse Slate Yet

If there’s a Slamdance Film Festival rulebook, Festival Director Taylor Miller says she’s never seen it. “And if there is one, Slamdance rewrites it, and then it rewrites that one, too,” she says.

Created in 1994 by filmmakers who weren’t accepted into the Sundance Film Festival, Slamdance has continually proven itself as a showcase for richly diverse, independent film. Now celebrating its 30th year and featuring a program curated from over 9,000 film submissions—the most Slamdance has ever received—Miller notes that the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival will feature its most diverse lineup yet.

“43 percent of our lineup is made up of BIPOC creators, and 43 percent are female or non-binary directors. That’s incredibly important,” she says. “The Revolution Short Film Program, curated by [Slamdance Accessibility Coordinator] Gabe Misla, is new this year and specifically showcases Indigenous stories. … We are doing our very best to always raise the bar for ourselves regarding inclusivity and accessibility.” 

“We are doing our very best to always raise the bar for ourselves regarding inclusivity and accessibility.” 

Slamdance organizers have proven this commitment through initiatives like Slamdance Unstoppable—a program specifically for and by filmmakers with visible and non-visible disabilities—as well as the Slamdance Index, a submission platform designed to lower the barrier to entry by calculating a filmmaker’s submission fee based on where they are in the world. In 1998, Slamdance filmmakers began acting as the sole programmers of the festival—a unique process that is still used today.

Slamdance is committed to ensuring accessibility for viewers, too. Through the Slamdance Channel, a micro-streaming platform that claims to be “the world’s first anti-algorithm streaming service,” a rotating and curated selection of past Slamdance films is available throughout the year for an annual pass price of just $50. The annual pass also includes virtual access to the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival slate of 32 feature films, 75 shorts and 13 episodics, which viewers can screen between Jan. 22–28.

So, which Slamdance 2024 films should top viewing lists this year? Miller recommends Academy Award-winning Filmmaker Carol Dysinger’s documentary feature One Bullet, which is about one bullet and its effect on a family in Afghanistan over 18 years; Invisible Nation, an eight-year odyssey documenting Director Vanessa Hope’s unparalleled access to the President of Taiwan; Director Hadley Austin’s Demon Mineral, a documentary about the aftermath of uranium mining on Navajo land; and a short film titled Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World about a young girl who is non-verbal learning to communicate with her family.

“Makayla’s Voice is unlike anything any of us had seen before,” Miller says. “It’s not just something we’re excited about being a part of the lineup; we collectively are honored that we can share this on our platform with the world.”

“… we collectively are honored that we can share this on our platform with the world.”

This year’s in-person Slamdance Film Festival will come full circle by being hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City – The Yarrow (formerly known as “The Yarrow”)—the same venue it was hosted at its inaugural year. Miller says that the most significant piece of the 30th anniversary celebration is the fact that Slamdance is as disruptive as ever.

“I don’t know if the co-founders could have imagined how not only necessary and incredibly important Slamdance was but how, with time, it would become even more important,” she says. “There’s something that happens when you are given the opportunity to watch a simple story without an astronomical budget. … Independent filmmaking can teach us so much about how to be better for ourselves and each other. It’s a profound opportunity to become aware of someone else’s story.”

“It’s a profound opportunity to become aware of someone else’s story.”

In an age where major studios and streaming services are increasingly shutting out independent voices, fighting for these stories is more crucial than ever. Miller says Slamdance is blessed to have a growing lineup of creators who take their stories right to the cutting edge. “It’s not anti-glitz, but it’s more guts than glitz,” she says.

Slamdance 2024 will take place in person from January 19–25 in Park City, Utah and virtually from January 22–28. Learn more about Slamdance and purchase screening passes at slamdance.com.

Read more about the Slamdance Film Festival here:
‘On Behalf of Non-Speakers’: Makayla’s Voice Premieres at Slamdance
An Artistic Alliance: Slamdance’s Collaboration With the U of U Faculty and Film Students