If Everyone’s Telling the Same Story, How Will Yours Stand Out?

Every year, the Utah International Film Festival receives hundreds of submissions from storytellers all over the world. And while each project is deeply personal to the filmmaker behind it, something fascinating always happens when you look at the collection as a whole: themes start repeating.

A filmmaker may feel like they’re venturing into untouched territory, but once all the submissions are laid side by side, you begin to see clusters — story ideas that many filmmakers are exploring at the same time, often without realizing it.