In the spirit of fostering independent film, Park City Institute wants to elevate its own audience with WeRiseUp, a global movement intended to encourage people to be more positive and helpful in their communities.

To kick off a week of festivities, the Institute will host a special event at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Utah Film Studios, said Park City Institute executive director Teri Orr.

The event will feature food, drinks and entertainment by local and international artists that will lead up to a Sunday screening of “WeRiseUp – The Movie,” according to Orr.

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The movie, which will screen during an event that starts at 6 p.m. at TAO Park City, 819 Main St., was directed by Michael Shaun Conaway, and features global leaders, like the Dalai Lama, as well as electronic music pioneer Moby and NBA star Dwight Howard.

I like to think what the institute does is lift people up…” Teri Orr, Park City Institute executive director

Another screening will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, at TAO.

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“We will celebrate the Park City High School Marching Band will be there, and we’ll have other bands and performers from around the state, and Grammy-winning pianist Peter Kater, who is in the movie,” she said.

WeRiseUP reached out to the Park City Institute a month ago.

“They talked with Mo Hickey, our managing director about doing something in the Park City School District, for a Rise Up moment,” Orr said.

Saturday’s event will raise funds for the Park City Institute as well as an awareness for both the institute and WeRiseUp, according to Orr.

The Institute will present simultaneous WeRiseUp assemblies at Park City High School and Treasure Mountain Junior High School on Monday, Jan. 28, Orr said.

Following the assemblies, all 2000 students in attendance will participate in a pop-up art installation on the school field, with aerial photography artist John Quigley, said Bari Nan Rothchild, Park City Institute’s publicist.

The plan is for students will create a symbolic human aerial image in a design produced via a student contest at the high school. The students will form a giant human artwork in the spirit of celebrating differences and Rising UP, together, according to Rothchild.

Students will get a chance to see ‘WeRiseUp – The Movie’ on Feb. 1, she said.

Orr said WeRiseUp came at the perfect time for Park City Institute, which has experienced a tough year capped by a funding crisis.

“We’re not out of it, but we are certainly in a better place than last month,” Orr said. “People have told us they value our programming and that they don’t want to see it go away. So I like to think what the institute does is lift people up, without having to look at their phones or listen to the news.”