Utah Tech Digital Film faculty and students added an impressive line to their resumes recently. Utah Tech’s documentary film professor Hans Glasmann took to Vienna, Austria to showcase a production at the Vienna Independent Film Festival with his short, Waves. Professor Glasmann teaches documentary film and has produced of the important local documentaries, The Good, The Bad, The Slow. But in this case Hans produced a short film.
He did so with the assistance of several students and faculty in the Digital Film department. Glasmann’s film made “waves” at the film festival when it took home the award for Best Short Production.
Waves is a short digital film about a man Derek who has lost everything in his life that he loved. The role is played by former UT College of the Arts Academic Advisor, Brian Grob. In a single therapy session, he unravels his thoughts on life, politics, and the very fabric of who he is. The therapist is played by UT film staff Tisa Zito. Derek’s choices throughout the film shape his narrative as either a hero or a villain, and it is through the therapist that the audience can pick up their own clues of how they feel about Derek’s situation and response.
Professor Glasmann remarked, “I am beyond humble to be surrounded by the many gifted artists that come through Utah Tech’s Digital Film Program. That I, who normally produce documentaries with minimal collaboration from colleagues, was able to produce this complex story with the absolute collaboration of our very talented students and faculty is a dream come true”.
Hans Glasmann directed with Ben Braten as his Director of Photography. Braten is an alum of Utah Tech and has taught and led projects in the program for many years. Additionally, every department of the production was led by students and for students. Students were able to take the roles of Producer, Art Director, Gaffer, Production Sound Mixer, Assistant Director and many other roles that served to the completion of the film.
Associate Dean Glenn Webb commented, “The mentoring and hands-on approach taken by the film program is incredible and inspiring.”
Waves is currently airing at film festivals locally and globally and will soon be available to stream online. The film played at the Desert Waves Film Festival in October 2025 in Las Vegas.
Student work from the fall semester can be enjoyed during the end of semester screenings scheduled for Tuesday December 9, 2026.
By Allyson Twitchell, Marketing Coordinator for the College of the Arts