THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR JUN 27 - JUL 3 

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Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Film festivals come in all shapes and sizes—and so do the people in them. At least, that's one of the principles behind the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, a presentation of the Utah Film Center's Black, Bold & Brilliant program in conjunction with Outdoor Auntie. According to Russell Roots, Director of Film Exhibition for the Utah Film Center and program manager for Black, Bold & Brilliant, "When you look at the outdoor sports or recreation industry overall, it tends towards a particular kind of person and body type. This is a celebration of all that we're looking for when we turn to the outdoors. ... The outdoors is for everybody. Just because you don't see yourself in traditional marketing doesn't mean you can't survive or thrive in the outdoors."

Curated for touring presentations by the national Wild & Scenic organization, this third annual festival shifts the focus to stories of BIPOC individuals, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities and those with body types not typically associated with outdoor activities. The approximately two-hour program features 10 short films covering a range of issues and experiences—including Apayauq, director Zeppelin Zeerip's profile of Apayauq Reitan (pictured), the first trans woman musher ever to complete the legendary Iditarod sled-dog race.

The 2024 Wild & Scenic Film Festival takes place at Tracy Aviary (589 E. 1300 South) on Friday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. Food and drinks will be available for purchase on-site, and alcohol for those 21+ with ID. Tickets are $15 per person; visit utahfilmcenter.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

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Kevin James @ Delta Center
Kevin James has made his mark on screens both big and small. The former found him cast as the hapless delivery driver on the hit sitcom The King of Queens, which ran for nine seasons on CBS and garnered him an Emmy nomination. In addition, he found success as the producer, co-writer, and star of the hit movie comedies Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Zookeeper and Here Comes The Boom, all of which found him playing a clueless character who was lovable and irrepressible despite falling prey to preposterous predicaments.

That said, his dumb guy-makes-good-image is decidedly at odds with his real-life achievements. He starred in and executive produced The Crew, a sitcom set in the world of NASCAR. He and his pal Ray Romano delved further afield with the HBO sports special Making the Cut: The Road to Pebble Beach, which garnered him a Sports Emmy nomination. In addition, he produced two critically acclaimed stand-up specials—Sweat the Small Stuff for Comedy Central and Never Don't Give Up on Netflix—and scored significant roles in several films, among them Hitch (alongside Will Smith), Pixels (with Adam Sandler), Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2 and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. His humble demeanor off-camera is often overshadowed by his forthright persona onstage, but no matter. James may have abdicated his throne as King of Queens, but his comedy still rules.

Kevin James' Owls Don't Walk tour comes to the Delta Center (301 S. Temple) on Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $56 - $96; visit seatgeek.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

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Amy Low: The Brave In-Between
What do you do with a terminal cancer diagnosis? Amy Low, a mother of two, faced that question in the summer of 2019, when she was informed that the health problems she'd been experiencing were connected to Stage IV metastatic colon cancer, and that the prognosis for survival was very slim. She began sharing parts of the ensuing journey with her friends, eventually turning it into a blog titled Postcards from the Mountain. And nearly five years after that grim initial diagnosis, Low is still here, sharing the lessons she has learned in the new memoir The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room.

The Brave In-Between is a chronicle of the kinds of emotions so many people face when dealing with such prospects—anger, grief and trauma—and an attempt to navigate the good days without getting too high, and the bad days without getting too down. Low addresses how to navigate a path seeing both joy and sorrow as part of the same journey, and live in a space of forgiveness as a way to make the best of every day.

Amy Low appears in person to discuss The Brave In-Between at The King's English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) on Saturday, June 29 at 4 p.m. The event is free to the public, but registration is required via Eventbrite; copies of the book may be purchased at the event or pre-ordered, and places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase the book from The King's English. Visit kingsenglish.com to register and for additional event information. (SR)