A new family-friendly film festival in Park City has announced its inaugural slate of movies.
The first Park City International Film Festival — set for Aug. 10-13 at Park City;s Eccles Theater — is billed as "a film festival for the entire family," and serves up many titles with a Christian or inspirational theme. Its celebrity ambassadors are actors Kevin Sorbo ("Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," "God's Not Dead") and his wife, Sam Sorbo.
The film for the opening-night gala has yet to be announced. Here are the films that have been announced:
• "Chonda Pierce: Laughing in the Dark" • A documentary that profiles Christian comedian Chonda Pierce.
• "The Cokeville Miracle" • Utah director T.C. Christensen's 2015 drama, depicting the real-life incident of a hostage incident at a Wyoming elementary school.
• "Crimes and Mister Meanors" • Jason Prisk wrote and directed this comedy about a teen (Logan Burton) who turns detective when he uncovers a conspiracy in or nation's capital.
• "Different Drummers" • A 2013 drama about two friends — one in a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy, the other with what's now known as attention-deficit disorder — growing up in the 1960s.
• "The Evanescence of Hope" • A documentary that tells the story of Mansour Ariazand, a Iranian immigrant who survived a fall down a waterfall in Bells Canyon, Utah.
• "Just Let Go" • A fact-based drama from 2015, about a family man ("Lost" co-star Henry Ian Cusick) weighing forgiveness for the drunk driver responsible for the accident that killed his wife and two of his children.
• "Many Beautiful Things" • A documentary that examines the life of Lilias Trotter, a Victorian-era artist who left her paintings in England to become a Protestant missionary in Algeria.
• "The Messenger's Box" • A teen (Luke Hodgson) finds a powerful item in his grandfather's antique store in this drama.
• "Nowhere Safe" • A teen (Danielle Chuchran) falls victim to a "reverse cyber bullying" plot, which she must confront when she moves to a new school, in this 2014 drama by director Brian Brough ("Singing With Angels").
• "Pitching Love and Catching Faith" • A love-starved softball player (Lauryn Kent) and a never-been-kissed baseball player (Derek Boone) meet in this 2015 romantic comedy.
• "Right Footed" • A documentary profile of Jessica Cox, a woman born without arms who has learned to drive a car and fly a plane using her feet.
• "Singing With Angels" • A woman (Sarah Kent) deals with a family crisis, and thinks back on her years as a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, in this drama.
• "Thank You For Playing" • A documentary that follows Ryan and Amy Green, as they deal with their baby son Joel's cancer diagnosis — and how Ryan honored his son's life by developing a video game about cancer.
• "Trew Calling" • A woman (Tracey B. Wilson) hears the Almighty's voice, who tells her to write down everything he says, in this comedy-drama.
• "Under the Blood Red Sun" • A Japanese-American teen (Kyler Ki Sakamoto), living in Hawaii in 1941, is put in an internment camp in this historical drama.
The festival line-up also includes shorts programs, both narrative and documentary. Concerts and comedy performances are also on the schedule.
For tickets and more information, go to the festival's website.
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