Through the Lens

Through the Lens is a flagship film program of Utah Film Center. Since launching in 2011, in partnership with KUER 90.1’s RadioWest, the series has presented film screenings and in-depth post-film discussions featuring fascinating documentaries, spectacular narratives, and special film events.

This fall, Through the Lens explores the world via paths lesser traveled to bring you visions of facing the future with bravery, understanding queerness in the human and animal kingdoms, and walking the line between commercialization and conservation in the Canadian wilderness.

Upcoming Events for this Program

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

Audience Award winning documentary from SXSW Film Festival. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more unique journey about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created… and what’s at stake if we get it wrong.

Through the Lens

Wed, October 14, 2026 at 7:00 pm

In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)

2026 Utah Queer Film Festival: Second Nature: Gender and Sexuality in the Animal World

Debunking myths that females are “inferior” and being queer is “unnatural,” Second Nature follows trailblazing trans Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Joan Roughgarden as she meets other groundbreaking scientists exploring the 1500+ animal species who engage in same-sex sexual behavior and parenting, change sex, form matriarchies, and more…

Through the Lens, UQFF Year-Round, Utah Queer Film Festival

Fri, November 6, 2026 at 6:00 pm

In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)

Nuisance Bear

A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape.

Through the Lens

Wed, December 9, 2026 at 7:00 pm

In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)