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Remember Fox’s smash hit 24?
Did you know that Provo had its own version? And it starred Donny Osmond (cast as a villain)?
WANT TO SEE IT?
CTU: Provo will play at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 2 at the SCERA Theater in Orem. Tickets are available 801-225-ARTS, online at www.scera.org, or at the door.
Or watch it below!
And did you know the director (Alan Seawright) of this political suspense thriller recently started ZION POLITICS? A coincidence? Hmmm . . .
The film also co-stars Rick Macy (Ephraim’s Rescue), Will Rubio (BYU-TV’s Random Acts), Jimmy Chunga (The Singles Ward), Paul Hunt (The Cokeville Miracle), Charan Prabhakar (HBO’s Silicon Valley), and about a dozen alumni of BYU’s Divine Comedy.
Meridian Magazine has more information on the backstory. . .
Most directors don’t land an international superstar to appear in their first movie. Then again, most films don’t trigger an accidental “calling-all-units” manhunt by local police or require potentially fatal stunts of the lead actors. But CTU: Provo was hardly an average film shoot, and that’s just scratching the surface.
BYU alum Alan Seawright directed and starred in the feature-length comedy, a parody of TV’s 24, back in 2007. The story follows a pair of Jack Bauer fanboys assisting Utah counter-terrorist agents when Provo comes under attack. Donny Osmond gamely agreed to appear as the main villain as a favor to the cast. The film has been selected for a 10th anniversary screening at this year’s LDS Film Festival in Orem. The screening will be followed by a Q&A panel with Seawright and co-star Jonathan Decker.
The latter, then a performer with the popular humor troupe BYU’s Divine Comedy, risked his life hanging from the door of a speeding van. The former allowed his body to be repeatedly hit by a car in order to get a shot. These stories, along with those detailing working with Osmond and the cast’s near-arrest by what Decker says “seemed to be all of Provo PD” will be shared from the stage of the SCERA Theater on March 2.
CTU: Provo was well-received on the film festival circuit and at Salt Lake Comic Con. Seawright sent a copy of his “epic fan-film” to 24 producer-director John Cassar, who personally responded praising its direction and “well-executed” action. Preeminent fansite 24fans.com called it “highly entertaining” and described it as having “very impressive production qualities…an excellent cast, a solid script, and direction which at times is more inventive than that on the show itself.”
2017 LDS Film Festival Highlights
The annual LDS Film Festival features once again a large slate of films in its program. Now in its 16th year, the festival will kick off on Wednesday, March 1, and run through Saturday, March 4.
“The LDS Film Festival continues to showcase an impressive array of films produced in our community,” says Christian Vuissa, founder and director of the LDS Film Festival. “The festival welcomes back several experienced filmmakers and introduces fresh new voices with a lot of potential.”
Most films are followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, which adds to the unique charm and atmosphere of the LDS Film Festival. Audiences not only get to see the newest films coming out of the LDS film community, but also have the privilege to interact with the filmmakers in a casual and informal setting.
You can download the program overview here.
The 16th LDS Film Festival opens with the feature film Love Everlasting by director Rob Diamond starring Lucky Blue Smith on Wednesday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Scera Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah.
“I’m honored to have my film Love Everlasting selected as the opening night film of the LDS Film Festival,” says director Rob Diamond. “This is my eight film in the festival, and I’ve always been grateful for the support of the LDS Film Festival.”
The Last Descent is this year’s closing night film, screening on Saturday, March 4, at 7:00 p.m. The film is based on the true story of John Edward Jones who slid down into a narrow impasse of the Nutty Putty Cave in November 2009.
Feature Films and Premieres
Story Tellers (Saturday, March 4, 3:00 p.m.) offers an entertaining and enlightening evening with three of the most colorful characters of the Old West: John Porter Rockwell, Mark Twain, and J. Golden Kimball.
Waffle Street (Friday, March 3, 7:30 p.m.) is a riches-to-rags story of a Wall Street financier’s (James Lafferty) foray into the food industry and his ultimate redemption thanks to best short-order cook (Danny Glover) in town.
Magellan (Friday, March 3, 6:45 p.m.) is a sci-fi drama about an astronaut who is dispatched on a multi-year solo mission to investigate mysterious signals from within our solar system.
626 Evolution (Saturday, March 4, 7:15 p.m.) is an action film about an amnesiac who searches for her true identity while protecting a teenage girl who shares her superhuman combat skills.
Mythica: The Godslayer (Friday, March 3, 9:00 p.m.) is the fifth and final film in the epic Mythica series, the largest indie fantasy project ever made.
Other feature films include the comedy Hello I Love You (Thursday, March 2, 4:30 p.m.), the drama Sacred Vow (Friday, March 3, 9:30 p.m.), the comedy Moose the Movie (Saturday, March 4, 9:30 p.m.), and the action comedy CTU: Provo (Thursday, March 2, 9:30 p.m.).
Documentary Features
Peace Officer (Thursday, March 2, 7:00 p.m.) follows William “Dub” Lawrence who established one of Utah’s first SWAT teams, only to watch in horror as that same unit killed his son-in-law in a controversial standoff years later.
The Laughter Life (Saturday, March 4, 3:00 p.m.) goes behind the scenes of the popular sketch comedy series, Studio C, and explores how cast members try to balance their religious beliefs with the mandate to always be funny.
The Unfomfortable Truth (Friday, March 3, 4:30 p.m.) grapples with the United States’ institutions of racism and encourages an open and honest dialogue on race and society.
Modifying Reality (Saturday, March 4, 5:00 p.m.) tells the story of the successful BYU Animation Center, which won 16 student Emmy awards and five student Academy Awards since 2003.
Other documentaries include The Mormon Connection (Saturday, March 4, 10:30 p.m.), I Want Abs (Friday, March 3, 3:00 p.m.), and Recommended Daily Amount (Friday, March 3, 12:00 p.m.).
Short Film Programs
Three Short Film Competition programs offer a diverse array of films including drama, comedy, animation, documentary, and experimental films that are shown on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 2-4, at 5:00 p.m.
The 24-Hour Filmmaking Marathon (Thursday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.) premieres multiple films made in only 24 hours a week prior to the festival and showcases past winners of the competition.
The Homemade Family Films competition (Saturday, March 4, 10:30 a.m.) offers a variety of fun and thoughtful family-made short films.
All events are open to the public and take place at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem (745 South State Street).
Festival passes, day passes and tickets for individual screenings can be purchased directly at the Scera Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah, on their website at www.scera.org or by phone at 801-225-ARTS. Click here for admissions information.
The LDS Film Festival strives to annually present a diverse spectrum of films that represent the status quo of current LDS filmmaking. The festival is independently organized and not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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