X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival In Utah

By Ann Wycoff | January 12, 2009 |

What do gold medalist Shaun White catching big air in Japan and skateboarding black top in Rwanda; waterman Laird Hamilton surfing colossal barrels in the heart of Indonesia and Travis Rice snowboarding in epic New Zealand backcountry have in common? They are all featured in the 9th annual X-Dance Film Festival in Salt Lake City. Action sports filmmakers and iconic athletes from around the globe make the trek to Utah to show their latest cinematic gems that fuel the massive actions sports culture. Running side-by-side with the Sundance Film Festival, the 9th annual X-Dance Festival will be held in Salt Lake City on January 16-20, 2009. The festival headquarters and screening room are located at the Off-Broadway Theater (272 South Main Street). For four days X-Dance will screen 35 of the finest films in adventure and action sports spotlighting Snowboarding, Skiing, Surfing, Mountain Biking, MotoCross, Skateboarding, Rockclimbing, and Kayaking. Engaging Q&A sessions follow each screening giving the audience the chance to meet the filmmakers and icons from their favorite sports. A final award ceremony at Elevate, open to the public, brings together cutting-edge bands, top DJs, entertainment executives, and action sport industry bigwigs to honor the heroes from each sport and the filmmakers who tell their stories in incredible locations. X-Dance also honors Ambassadors of Green via their “Save Our Playgrounds” campaign each year. In 2009, they will laud Protect Our Winters at the closing ceremony, a non-profit organization dedicated to uniting the winter sports community to reverse global warming. So head to Salt Lake City, ski some pow and check out the festival.