SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Gold medalist Shaun White catching big air in Japan and skateboard black top in Rwanda. Waterman Laird Hamilton charging waves and surfing colossal barrels in the heart of Indonesia. Travis Rice snowboarding in epic backcountry. It’s all part of the 9th annual X-Dance Film Festival this January in Salt Lake. As the festival continues to grow in popularity and world acclaim, action sports filmmakers and athletes from the around the globe will trek to Salt Lake City 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.

The world-class festival brings together cutting-edge bands, top DJS, entertainment executives, action sport industry bigwigs to honor the heroes from each sport and the filmmakers who tell their stories. Salt Lake has embraced the festival as its own as X-Dance enters its second year based in downtown SLC. Scott Beck, president & CEO of the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, declares, “On the heels of Salt Lake’s successful hosting of the action sports AST Dew Tour’s largest event ever, the marriage of action sports and Salt Lake will once again be energized by the 2009 X-Dance film festival. It is always great to be part of a successful team. Hosting X-Dance in Salt Lake strengthens the incredible position of Salt Lake as the epicenter of Action Sports. Having the endorsement of the industry’s leading Film Festival ensures Salt Lake’s place as the epicenter of year-round outdoor recreational opportunities. We are thrilled to have X-Dance back in Salt Lake City for a second year.”

Film Festival director Brian Wimmer adds, “Action Sports, a multi-billion dollar a year industry that grows exponentially each year, has found its MECCA. X-Dance is thrilled to have landed in Salt Lake City, a perfect playground, location and audience with its population of extremely active outdoor youth culture. Mix Sundance with the Action Sports Mecca of Utah and you get the perfect storm of the X-Dance Film Festival. No other event on earth harnesses the creative energy of adrenaline culture and brings it together.”

The 5-day festival will include:

Screenings open to the Public of top action sports films from industry stalwarts like Matchstick, VAS, Teton Gravity Research, Quiksilver, Red Bull, Altnerna Films, Poor Boyz, Oakley, Transworld, and Billygoat Productions, as well as noteworthy work by emerging talent and world premieres. Screenings run Friday, January 16th through Monday, January 19th from noon to 10p.m. at the Off-Broadway Theater (272 South Main St.) located across from the Gallivan Trax stop. Street parking or use the Wells Fargo and Tower lots. Tickets are $7 per movie ($5 for students) or $40 for a 4-day pass ($25 for students). Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Off-Broadway Box Office. www.theobt.com or call 801-355-4628. The X-Dance film schedule is listed on the website: www.x-dance.com.

Open forums for question and answer sessions after each screening with filmmakers and featured athletes.

Several world premieres like the film “Swift Silent Deep” about the Jackson Hole Airforce by Akita Productions, and “Reasons” by award-winning filmmaker Johnny Decesare of Poor Boyz Productions

X-Dance Awards Ceremony and Closing Party will be held on Tuesday, January 20st at 7p.m. Industry stars and celebrities join bands and DJs to celebrate the best in action sports filmmaking, while the extraordinary VJ, Brien Pullman, transforms the enormous room into a mesmerizing, wall-to-wall montage of action sports imagery. Located at Elevate: 155 West 200 South; www.hotelelevate.com For more details please go to www.x-dance.com.

Athletes expected to attend the festival: Shaun White, Travis Rice, Scott Schmidt, Jeremy Jones, and Laird Hamilton.

Sponsor Sailor Jerry’s Rum will present a special screening on Monday, January 19th. The award winning feature film “Hori Smoku” the roots of American tattooing through the life of its most iconoclastic figure, Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, the father of modern day tattooing. Screening will be held at 10p.m. on Monday, January 19th at Off-Broadway Theater (272 South Main St.) located across from the Gallivan Trax stop. Street parking or use the Wells Fargo and Tower lots.

SPONSORS:

Now in its 9th year, the X-Dance festival has become the focal point for the action sports creative community. We are pleased to announce our 2009 sponsors.

Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, Sailor Jerry’s Rum, ESPN, Good Vibes For You Water, Cristaux International, Mirror Films, Fiber Skateboarding and Numa Tactical.

For more information please check out the X-Dance website: www.x-dance.com

or contact Media Director: Ann Wycoff at 310-291-1255.

Tags: X Dance

Posted by Cameron on Monday, January 5th, 2009 in Press Releases.

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