“Motherfucking Utah, let’s go!”
That was the spirit inside the energetic Oct. 22 opening night screening at FilmQuest. The 10-day festival in Provo launched its 10th installment with a screening of the Utah-made motorcycle action feature, “Whiskey Throttle.”
Upon entering the festival’s screening home at the Velour Live Music Gallery, the audience was greeted with a comfortable auditorium with plenty of spooky decorations, an intoxicating popcorn smell and the sound of new friends being made and potential collaborators being introduced. Vintage ’80s movie trailers for films like “Masters of the Universe” and era-appropriate toy commercials rolled on the screen as people gathered, contributing to the fandom vibe.
Helping to amp up the audience was FilmQuest founder and director Jonathan Martin, a one-man cheerleading squad for both Utah filmmaking and genre fare. He introduced the night playing to the crowd — throwing some friendly barbs at both Sundance for packing up and leaving the state, and at neighbor-to-the-north Idaho.
The local humor played well in the room, as did a notice during FilmQuest’s opening announcements that none of the films in the festival used AI. This brought a round of applause, unsurprising in a room filled with indie creatives who believe that AI is both threatening their jobs and lowering the quality of art.
“Whiskey Throttle” kept the hometown crowd on the edge of their seats, with frequent cheers for all of the film’s explosions, dazzling desert motorcycle camerawork and practical stunt work. Jacob Schwarz directed the story of a biker gang pursuing a mysterious rider who killed a cartel leader and stole his crypto wallet.
In the Q&A following the premiere, Dave Hunter, who produced the film under his new Utah-based Intension Industries banner, spoke to the hometown feel of the production, saying, “My entire family is involved. All of my kids were the stunt riders … We had everybody that we knew involved in this film.”
Utah Film Commission Production Manager Derek Mellus was on hand toasting the production and highlighted how the team took advantage of the state’s scenic locations for the film.
“If you have a road movie, you should be shooting it in Utah,” Mellus told Variety. “Whether it’s going to higher elevation or to the deserts or to southern Utah, Red Rocks, we have it all here.”
Prior to “Whiskey Throttle,” two short films were screened, as per the fest’s tradition of pairing thematically similar shorts with the main attraction.
“Relict” was also local, springing out of Brigham Young University’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts. Written by, directed and shot by twin brothers Andrew and James Harker, the atmospheric tale of an anthropologist obsessed with getting the perfect photograph of a mysterious creature was visually arresting, especially considering it was the duo’s senior thesis. At the end of the Q&A, Martin noted that the Harkers have a script for a feature-length version that they’d love to make.
Also playing was the funny Australian short “Marv,” a parody of the “Saw” series where the titular clown tortures a man and his family. Yet, it becomes something of a gore-filled episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” as Marv realizes he made a mistake and might have to stop his traps early. Writer-director Andrew Gardner has such a keen knack for comic timing that it’d be a treat to see him helm a chapter in the “Scary Movie” franchise someday.
After the Q&A, the crowd remained buzzy and eager, but Martin had to boot the chitchatters to talk outside, given “Whiskey Throttle” had a packed late show eager to come in and keep the celebration of Utah filmmaking rolling on.