Community at our core

Mission & History

Māsima Film Festival aims to provide an array of contemporary films either made by Pacific Islanders, or that center Pacific Islander narratives, that are not widely available to our community for theatrical viewing. Māsima facilitates the use of cinema as a conduit to encourage artistic expression, connection, and dialogue.

Māsima Film Festival was co-founded in 2021 by the Salt Lake Film Society and the Utah Pacific Island Film Series, a program of Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Resources, under the Direction of Lauren To’omalatai. Māsima was originally called “Māsima: Pacific Island Film Tour” and is one of the featured ongoing cultural tours that the Salt Lake Film Society has committed to supporting.

Māsima is an annual film festival entering its 6th season of showcasing films by Pasifika Filmmakers, or that center Pasifika narratives, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah. Māsima exists because of the Salt Lake Film Society’s investment in platforming our Pacific Island community, using film exhibition as a way to help connect, educate, and affirm the importance of having a space we can gather each year to share stories and important dialogue around those stories.

Māsima translates to “salt” in a number of Pasifika dialects, referencing the Salt Lake Valley where the festival and many of our Pacific Islanders living in the diaspora call home, as well as the salt in the sea that joins our many islands together.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Māsima Film Festival’s dates for 2026 are Tuesday, June 23rd - Thursday, June 24th.

  • All Māsima Film Festival screenings are hosted at our home theater Broadway Centre Cinemas, operated by Salt Lake Film Society.

    The address for the Broadway is: 111 E Broadway, 300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

  • To get tickets for Māsima visit slfstix.org. You can also visit our “Schedule” page where the appropriate links will also be featured for easy access.

  • Yes, we will have panel discussions and filmmaker Q&A at select screenings. Due to the limited capacity of our staff, we cannot guarantee a Q&A or panel for all films.

  • Ticket pricing here.

  • The Māsima Film Festival is committed to getting tickets into the hands of our Pasifika community members.

    If you are a Pacific Islander looking to attend one of our in-person screenings but are facing financial hardship, or could benefit from 100% complimentary tickets, please fill out this form and you will be contacted with more information.

    The only pre-requisite for receiving this discount is that you are a Pacific Islander. We encourage non-Pasifika to support our efforts and Māsima Film Festival by purchasing tickets at full price.