Utah Documentary Association Work-in-Progress Screening

Join us for our February Work-in-Progress screening of IN THE MOMENT directed by Jen Banks.

Logline:
In the Moment weaves together interviews and memories to chronicle a queer woman's final chapter with ovarian cancer. Filmed two decades ago and brought forward as her lasting legacy, the film illuminates the universal questions of how we live, love and remember.

Synopsis:
Filmed more than 20 years ago, In the Moment tells the story of a lesbian woman living and dying with ovarian cancer. Through her perspective and that of her closest friends, the film explores the realities of illness, the intimacy of chosen family, and the enduring power of love and friendship. Both personal and universal, it serves as her legacy — a reflection on how we live, how we die, and how we are remembered.

Filmmaker Bio:
Jen Banks is a Salt Lake City based artist and filmmaker whose work is grounded in compassion, lived experience, and a lifelong relationship with art as a form of healing. Their creative practice is interdisciplinary and intuitive, spanning film, animation, drawing, sculpture, and other media—following curiosity rather than committing to a single medium in order to bring ideas to life.

They completed a degree in Film and Media Arts at the University of Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis in Animation and a minor in Drawing and Creative Writing. While living in Los Angeles for nine years, Jen worked in the film industry as a set painter for Sony Pictures on television series and pilots. They also contributed to numerous low-budget independent films (budgets under one million dollars) in a wide range of roles, including assistant art director, production designer, storyboard artist, editor, still photographer, set dresser, and stand-in director. For fun, they also participated as a seat filler for major awards shows, including the ACM Awards, CMA Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and Women in Film events.

Jen has also completed a few short films, including one filmed in Italy and an animation set to a popular Megan Trainor song. After time spent working in the tech industry, they are returning to filmmaking with renewed focus, bringing together decades of creative practice and storytelling rooted in empathy and presence.

Free and open to the public | Screenings begin at 6 PM | Park in the East lot using the kiosk.