You say you're not tired of film festivals yet? Even after Sundance, Slamdance, X-Dance, TromaDance and the LDS Film Festival took place in the state during the latter half of January?
As it turns out, if you aren't experiencing a bit of festival and film burnout, you're in luck, because the film festivals just keep coming.
This weekend saw the debut of the Energy Film Festival, a compilation of documentary shorts and features sponsored by the local Sierra Club chapter. And of course, the Organ Loft's winter festival, featuring silent movies, continues through March. Thursday and Friday the theater is showing the 1928 Frank Capra comedy "The Matinee Idol."
Among other, upcoming film events in the state:
THE ANIMATION SHOW 3 (Feb. 23, 8 p.m.; Capitol Theatre; animationshow.com)
The brainchild of "King of the Hill" co-creator Mike Judge and animator Don Hertzfeldt, "The Animation Show" is a touring exhibition of short cartoons. Past shows have included contributions from such people as Bill Plympton, whose "Guide Dog" is included this year.
But it's also a showcase for Hertzfeldt, whose seemingly primitive, stick-figure pieces have been getting more ambitious and better as they go (though his early shorts "Billy's Balloon" and "Oh L'Amour" are still pretty amusing).
Hertzfeldt's latest, "Everything Will Be OK," is also featured this year. It won a deserved jury award (for best animated short) from the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
THE FOURSITE FILM FESTIVAL (Feb. 28-March 3; Peery's Egyptian Theater, Ogden; foursitefilmfest.com)
Returning for its fourth year, Foursite features a variety of panel discussions and screenings of films, mostly short works. Genres vary. However, organizer Jim Henderson said the festival programming does not feature any movies with "excessive objectionable content."
"We want to show films that people will want to see over and over and over, not films that people will want to walk out on," Henderson explained.
This year's centerpiece is an opening-night premiere of "Pirates of the Great Salt Lake," a locally produced comedy that re-teams "Saints and Soldiers" co-stars Kirby Heyborne and Larry Bagby.
THE ZION INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Feb. 23-25; various southern Utah locations; zionfilmfestival.com)
Last year's event had more than 70 features and shorter-length works. This year has a "road movie" theme and screenings of the drama "Mojave Phone Booth" (starring Annabeth Gish and Steve Guttenberg), as well as the documentaries "Friendly Fire" and "Punk Like Me."
And best of all, the Southern Utah-centric festival's locations are in St. George, Zion National Park and Springdale — right in the heart of the beautiful red-rock country.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com