The First Backyard Film Bash
Celebrating the First-Ever Backyard Film Bash and 2026 Award Winners
Inaugural event brought filmmakers, musicians, artists, and community members together at Smith’s Ballpark for a night of movies, music, and making some noise
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — September 28, 2026 — The backyard got a whole lot bigger on a fine Saturday afternoon – September 19, 2026.
Spy Hop welcomed filmmakers, musicians, artists, families, and more than 1,000 community members to Smith’s Ballpark on September 19 for the inaugural Backyard Film Bash, an all-ages celebration of film, music, audio, design, and the creative voices of the next generation.
Hosted by Ali Vallarta and Adam White, the evening began with live music, a DJ, food, art, and activities throughout the ballpark before the field transformed into a giant outdoor movie theater as the sun went down. Audiences settled in on blankets and low chairs, friends and families gathered together, and 12 finalist films took over the big screen.
Backyard Film Bash 2026 Award Winners
BEST FILM — $10,000
To Taste
Emily Nash — Director
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE — $2,000
African Horror Story
Munashe Tanjani — Director
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE — $2,000
Dear Saleen
Eden Shields Strayer — Director
AUDIENCE FAVORITE AWARD — $2,000
Presented by University of Utah Health
There You Are
Alfonso Belloso — Director
SPECIAL COMEDY AWARD — $1,000
Presented by Jared & Jerusha Hess
Salt of the Earth
Rilian Cutrera — Director
The winning films were selected by the inaugural Backyard Film Bash jury: Jerusha Hess, Jared Hess, Tim Palmer, Tyler Glenn, and Jenny Mackenzie, who watched the films alongside the audience before deliberating and presenting the awards.
“BFB was the funnest night out we’ve had in a long time. The caliber of films was astonishing. It was a delight to judge them.”
— Jerusha Hess, Backyard Film Bash Juror
“Based on Spy Hop’s first-ever Backyard Film Bash, the future of Salt Lake City’s creative media ecosystem is in great hands. It was a real pleasure to see such a rich and diverse group of films, spanning everything from coming-of-age dramas to crises in the farthest reaches of deep space. I hope now the BFB becomes a permanent fixture on our SLC cultural calendar.”
— Tim Palmer, Backyard Film Bash Juror
For Emily Nash, director of To Taste, taking home the inaugural Best Film award was a fitting end to a night built around sharing stories with a live audience.
“BFB felt like a love letter to young and emerging creatives in Salt Lake City. As a first time filmmaker, I felt empowered and supported in navigating a festival format, and so in awe of the programming Spy Hop facilitates. I loved how accessible and playful BFB was – and couldn’t imagine a better way to share this project than an evening with friends and artists in one of Salt Lake’s biggest backyards.”
— Emily Nash, Director of To Taste
The Special Comedy Award, presented by filmmakers and jury members Jared and Jerusha Hess, recognized Rilian Cutrera’s Salt of the Earth with a $1,000 prize.
The 12 finalists were selected from a national field of submissions and were challenged to tell a complete story in seven minutes or less, including credits, while incorporating the 2026 Backyard Film Bash Signature Item: SALT.
But for Spy Hop, the night was about more than a film competition.
“We imagined Backyard Film Bash as a place where everyone could feel at home—filmmakers, young artists, families, longtime Spy Hop supporters and people who were discovering us for the first time,” said Larissa Trout, Executive Director of Spy Hop. “Seeing that vision come together at Smith’s Ballpark was incredibly special. We had music, art, films, laughter, a field full of people, and 12 filmmakers seeing their work on a big screen in front of a live audience. That is the kind of creative community we want to keep building.”
The audience was an essential part of the inaugural celebration, with guests not only experiencing the films but also selecting the Audience Favorite Award. From the first performances in the afternoon through the final film and awards, more than 1,000 people gathered at the ballpark to watch, listen, create, and celebrate together.
“A great backyard gathering makes room for everyone,” said Trout. “This first Backyard Film Bash showed us what can happen when we make that room.”
The inaugural event also brought together the many creative disciplines at the heart of Spy Hop’s work. Live music and a DJ set the tone for the evening before the lights went down and the films took over the screen, creating a shared experience that was part film festival, part concert, and part community gathering.
Spy Hop’s sponsors, founding community partners, and government and civic partners made the inaugural event possible. Special thanks to Luminary Sponsor University of Utah Health and Innovator Sponsor Willard L. Eccles Charitable Foundation for their leadership support.
Spy Hop also extends its gratitude to the many individual donors, in-kind supporters, volunteers, artists, performers, community groups, and venue partners who helped make the first Backyard Film Bash possible.
And most importantly, Spy Hop thanks the filmmakers who took the challenge, the 12 finalist teams who shared their work, the jury who helped celebrate their work, and everyone who came to the ballpark and made the night what it was.
The Backyard Is Coming Back
The inaugural Backyard Film Bash may be in the books, but the backyard is already getting ready for another night under the stars.
Backyard Film Bash returns in 2027 with a new Signature Item: TRUMPET.
The next chapter will once again invite filmmakers to take on the challenge, make something original, and bring their stories to a live audience, this time with a trumpet as their creative spark.
The first Backyard Film Bash marked the beginning of what Spy Hop hopes will become an annual Salt Lake City tradition—one that brings people together around young voices, creative risk-taking, great stories, and the simple joy of watching something together on a big screen.
About Backyard Film Bash
Backyard Film Bash is Spy Hop’s annual outdoor celebration of film, music, audio, design, and community. The event brings filmmakers, musicians, artists, families, and audiences together for an evening of short films, live performances, and creative expression.
The inaugural Backyard Film Bash was held September 19, 2026, at Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City. The 2027 Backyard Film Bash will feature TRUMPET as its Signature Item.
Our Backyard Film Bash Partners
The inaugural Backyard Film Bash is a program of the nonprofit Spy Hop. The 2026 Backyard Film Bash sponsors and partners include Luminary Sponsor — University of Utah Health; Innovator Sponsor — Willard L. Eccles Charitable Foundation; and Founding Community Partners — B. W. Bastian Foundation, GFiber, Mountain America Credit Union, Strike, The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Film Center, Visit Salt Lake, XMission, and Zions Bank Foundation.
Additional public and civic support comes from Salt Lake City’s Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Grant, the Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency, the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, and the Utah Film Commission.
This collective support helps make Backyard Film Bash possible while advancing Spy Hop’s year-round mission to provide youth with transformative opportunities to learn, create, and connect through media arts.