WATCH: Ski town nobodies shine in 'Weak Layers'

Weak Layers, directed by Katie Burell, premiers in theaters Friday Jan. 5. Photo: Greenwich Entertainment

As an official selection for the 2023 Banff and Kendal Mountain film festivals, 'Weak Layers' is a film for anyone who wants a good laugh, or to celebrate the simple things in life that often go overlooked

PARK CITY, Utah — There’s a new ski movie in town, and it’s centered all around women, who aren’t professional skiers: it’s an official selection for three film festivals, and it’s coming to a theater near you.

“Weak Layers,” co-written and directed by Katie Burell, who also stars in the film, spotlights three friends with a penchant for parties, evicted from their home, who embark on a quest to triumph in a ski-movie competition. The prize money holds the key to securing their rent, yet the path to victory is lined with challenges from seasoned skiers and filmmakers.

It’s a comedy that not only celebrates the vibrancy of mountain towns, but also confronts the male-dominated ski industry.

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The movie was recently acquired by Greenwich Entertainment, and will show in theaters across the U.S., including Park City, premiering Friday, Jan. 5. Weak Layers has received multiple accolades, including an honorable mention at the 2023 Whistler Film Festival for Best Mountain Culture Feature Film. The Whistler Film Festival website says that the jury felt Weak Layers was, “an impressive directorial debut and an instant classic that further cements Katie Burrell as action sports’ cult antihero.”

“Weak Layers” is a ski-medy that celebrates the simpletons of a ski town; the people who love to ski, but aren’t the agro-competitive-jump-0ff-a-cliff kind of skier.

“Nobodies are the fabric of mountain towns who don’t get any credit, like the dishwashers, the valets, the people who share rooms because they love a sport,” Burrell said in an interview with Outside Magazine. “They don’t wear their goggles the right way. They’re not cool, they’re not celebrated. They just love what they do.”