Sparse snow can’t damper biggest year yet for DLT-sponsored film fest

The assignment: Create a short film to celebrate snow sports in Utah. The challenge: Do it during the state’s warmest and driest winter on record.

Rather than wait for a skiable base to materialize, two entrants in the 2026 Snowdance Student Film Festival skipped town for snowier climes. “Animus” by Nyah Allen, winner of the Respect the Send Award, followed a skiing adventure in, around, and above Baranof Island, Alaska. “Tele You Love Me!” by Canyon Sargent, Daxton Hunter, Lance Harvey, and Adam Kohlmann, which earned the Audience Award, featured an extended segment filmed on Mount Niseko Annupuri in Japan. Three additional films incorporated dry land skiing, a strength-training practice typically reserved for summer months.

The festival culminated March 27, 2026, with a public screening at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). This year’s event showcased 11 student films — more than in previous years — reflecting a noticeable increase in scope and storytelling.

Founded as a grassroots, student-centered initiative, Snowdance provides University of Utah students with a platform to share original short films inspired by winter, Utah’s outdoor culture, and life in the mountains. This year’s event, sponsored and hosted by UIT Digital Learning Technologies (DLT), reflected the maturity of the festival and the expanding network of partners invested in its success.

“From where we started just a few years ago, it’s kind of unheard of that we’ve reached this point already,” said Jeb Dean, Snowdance director and organizer. “The first year was proof of concept, the second year showed strong student interest, and this year really demonstrated how much broader support Snowdance can attract.”

Dean singled out Tyler Willis, an Adobe creative consultant for DLT and graphic design major, for leading the branding campaign around this year’s festival — “Tyler put in a ton of work on our new logo and promotional materials that gave Snowdance a distinctive identity,” he said.

Sargent, one of the filmmakers and Adobe creative consultant, said the centrally located UMFA venue also helped elevate the festival.

“Having this new venue compared to previous years made it feel a lot more special,” Sargent said. “The quality of the films, the quality of the skiing, and the quality of the editing this year were all equally impressive.”

Tony Sams, manager of DLT’s Adobe Creative Commons in Kahlert Village and Snowdance founder, opened the festival with remarks inspired by David Bowie. The musician once said his best work happened when he felt “out of his depth.”

“That moment when your feet no longer touch the bottom is dangerous, but it’s where creativity happens,” Sams said. “That’s what Snowdance is about — deciding to pick up a camera, maybe for the first time, and take on something new.”

Dean said students who leaned most intentionally into storytelling were often the ones who engaged with Adobe workshops in the weeks preceding the festival.

“That’s where the Adobe component really comes in,” he said, “helping students shape their ideas, not just polish footage.”

This year’s film festival was attended by more than 200 people — student filmmakers, friends, family, and sponsors.

“The fact that faculty, industry partners, and students were all in the room together felt like a turning point,” Sams said. “It showed that Snowdance isn’t just a one-off event — it’s becoming part of the creative culture of the university.”

With three successful festivals completed, organizers are already looking toward the future. Plans include a Snowdance website with an @utah.edu domain, deeper academic partnerships, expanded Adobe-led workshops and guest talks, and continued collaboration with student organizations. There’s also growing interest in establishing Snowdance as a formally branded, trademarked university event.

For now, the focus remains on students.

“At the end of the day, Snowdance exists to give students a platform,” Sams said. “It’s about letting them share their stories, learn professional tools, and build something together. Watching the energy in the room this year — it was clear that this is something special, and it’s only going to keep growing.”

This year’s film festival was sponsored by Adobe, One Love Ski & Snowboard Club, Park City Signworks, Ski Utah, Utah Film Center and its Artist Foundry, Doman Innovation Studio, and Woodward Park City.

Dean gave special thanks to One Love, a U of U student-led organization, for representing Snowdance’s  “critical connection to the student body,” particularly One Love student board members Dylan Fondi and Harper Howe for speerheading the collaboration.

 

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