FilmQuest Aims to Be the Beating Heart of Utah Genre Cinema After Sundance’s Exit

When Sundance Film Festival officially packs up and moves to Colorado after its 2026 festival, Utah’s film scene won’t be left in the dark.

In fact, it might just get a lot better! Provo’s FilmQuest genre film festival is stepping into the spotlight, ready to become the state’s premier cinematic event for fans of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi storytelling.

I’ve been attending FilmQuest since it first launched and it’s my favorite film festival to attend. Anyone who isn’t going is missing out on an special and awesome experience.

Jonathan Martin, FilmQuest founder and festival director tells Variety: “The city of Provo is fully going to back us moving forward to becoming the premier festival in the state, and possibly the region. We’ve got some friends in the legislature that we’ve cultivated over the years that we’re going to be talking to and establishing that voice and community here.”

Founded in 2014 by Martin, who is also a filmmaker, FilmQuest was built around a simple but passionate idea to celebrate truly independent genre cinema. It’s not about big studio deals or distribution pushes, it’s about discovery and community.

“We’re not setting up deals with distributors, streamers and studios to showcase their films that they’re already planning to release anyway,” Martin explains. “We want to celebrate discoveries and find the voices of tomorrow.”

That vision has helped FilmQuest carve out a unique identity, one that’s equal parts creativity and community. Martin explained:

“We really are this rock ‘n’ roll-vibe event. You’re going to come to the festival and rub shoulders with everybody. Nobody’s off into a black limousine in the night. You’re going to come in, meet everybody that’s there, and potentially make a relationship there.

“For example, Sean Gunn was here a couple years ago and he’s just hanging out with everybody, exchanging phone numbers with people that he’s meeting right there, filmmakers that are up-and-coming and hungry. We’re all getting along and more relaxed.”

That down-to-earth atmosphere is intentional. Martin says inclusion and authenticity are at the core of FilmQuest’s identity.

“All are welcome and there is no preconceived notion. I don’t care if you are white, Black, Latino, Asian, LGBT — we’re all equal together in this. That’s what we’re doing here: To help you find those opportunities and also expand your network.

“And it’s not that we don’t take ourselves seriously, but it doesn’t feel like you’ve walked into a church and it’s all sanctimonious. This is very much something for people to feel welcome for what they created and who they are.”

That sense of openness fuels the creativity behind the festival’s lineup, which this year includes a killer mix of films!

Alongside its wild slate of features, FilmQuest is also known for championing short films and unproduced screenplays. The 2024 grand prize winner for shorts, I’m Not a Robot, went on to win the Oscar this year.

“A lot of these things are going to be dictated by our own personal taste,” Martin says. “I’m not going to say we bat 1000, but I think we bat .950. I think we do a very good job of identifying what are the very best of the independent genre feature films out there that are available to us, and the very best of the genre short films — as evidenced by the fact that our grand prize short film award winner ended up winning the Oscar last year. We’ve proven that.”

The festival also places a huge emphasis on community connection with mixers, workshops, and parties where up-and-coming filmmakers can learn from professionals in the industry like A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. It’s not just about screening films; it’s about building a network of creative movie geeks who love genre storytelling as much as the audience does.

“There’s something for everybody,” Martin says. “It’s a launching pad for the most exciting and talented voices in genre cinema today that may or may not have been discovered.”

With Sundance on its way out, FilmQuest is poised to take the stage as Utah’s new cinematic crown jewel, one that trades red carpets for blood, guts, and imagination. For fans of genre films, it’s the film fest worth checking out.