Exclusive Slamdance Interview: ‘Standout’ Filmmaker Tanner Christensen

Making its premiere at Slamdance 2025 is Tanner Christensen’s documentary Standout: the Ben Kjar Story.

Ben Kjar was born with Crouzon Syndrome, a rare craniofacial disorder. Doctors warned his parents that his life would be dominated by limitations, bullying and harsh scrutiny. Despite that prognosis, Ben was determined to live an ordinary life free from judgment and harassment.

Each experience of adversity, including relentless bullying and a series of painful surgeries, ignited a fire within him. Wrestling became his proving ground, a place where he learned to transform his facial difference into a source of power. Determined to succeed, he pushed himself relentlessly, breaking through physical, social, and even romantic barriers that once seemed insurmountable.

Unexpected challenges arose and ridicule resurfaced, but Ben found himself at a defining crossroads: fade into the background of a “normal” life — or fully embrace his difference and boldly stand out.

As the Slamdance premiere approaches, director/writer/producer Tanner Christensen gave ArtsBeat LA an exclusive interview about the film, its creation and its unforgettable cast of characters.

ArtsBeat LA: What inspired you to tell Ben’s story?

Tanner Christensen: The first time I met Ben was during a recreation league basketball game as a teenager. Even though he looked different, he was, without question, the most popular kid in the gym. And he was a good athlete as well!

My dad, T.C. Christensen (a filmmaker and a producer on Standout), asked if that was Ben, the Kjars’ kid. I told him he was, and T.C. said “That kid is a walking movie.” We kept an eye on Ben and his story ever since then. A few years later, T.C. actually approached Ben’s parents about making a film about Ben, but the timing wasn’t right.

We are grateful that when the opportunity finally arose, we were able to convince Ben that we could do his story justice. The faith and courage Ben’s family and friends have shown throughout this process has been incredible.

What were the most challenging aspects of making the film?

While researching Ben’s story, it became apparent that there would be moments from Ben’s life that needed to be told visually without the help of archival footage. We worried about doing recreations that would be hokey or cheesy. The main worry was, how do we find an actor that can convincingly play a young Ben Kjar?

Either we needed to find someone with his same condition, same hair color, same look, etc., or we had to figure out ways to shoot it without showing young Ben’s face, which would greatly limit us on set. That just didn’t seem like a good option for the film.

So, we conducted a nearly six-month nationwide search for a blonde boy with Crouzon Syndrome. With the help of the Children’s Craniofacial Association, we searched far and wide but ultimately came up empty-handed. We were distraught, and resigned to thinking that we would have to compromise our vision for the film.

But then, just a couple of months before primary filming began, something incredible happened. Ben received a phone call from some young parents who had heard about Ben through social media. They wanted to meet him. They lived less than an hour away and had a five-year-old son with Crouzon Syndrome.

When Ben met Colton Fielding, he couldn’t believe it — he was a perfect match, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a young Ben. Despite having no prior acting experience, Colton stepped into the role effortlessly and proved to be an absolute rock star from the very first day on set!

Who’s scheduled to appear in person at the Slamdance world premiere?

Ben and I will both be attending the premiere in person, and Ben has a number of family members joining us there that were involved heavily in the film. This includes his wife LaCol, his parents Stana and Scott, and most of his siblings.

We know that the idea to tell Ben’s story had been brewing for a while. What was the catalyst that finally made it a reality?

In 2023, a local production company approached us to pitch some low-budget documentary ideas. During that time we remembered Ben’s story, and after thinking about it, it immediately moved to the top of our list. We were so passionate about it that it was the only idea we presented.

That production company ended up passing on our pitch. While discouraging, afterwards we just couldn’t let go of the idea. Within a few days, we decided “why don’t we just try to make this film ourselves?” Thankfully, as we dove into Ben’s story, his journey proved to be even more inspiring and impactful than we ever imagined.

What makes Slamdance the ideal venue for Standout?

Slamdance was founded as an alternative to Sundance, giving emerging filmmakers a chance to shine. It’s always been the underdog. This mirrors Ben Kjar’s own story — overcoming adversity, defying expectations, and making an impact on the world through perseverance. Ben Kjar’s journey aligns perfectly with the festival’s ethos of celebrating resilience and individuality.

But most of all, I am excited to be at Slamdance because it has been the launching pad for so many amazing, successful filmmakers. To be counted among those that have had their films premiere at Slamdance is a dream come true. We hope Slamdance can open doors for Standout to reach wider audiences than we ever thought possible previously.

Is this the first film festival experience for you? Have you been networking with other filmmakers?

This is my first ever film festival as a director. Though in the past I’ve attended festivals with films I had edited, attending as a director is already a totally different experience. Some of the other filmmakers at Slamdance have been very generous with their time, and we’ve been able to meet up virtually, and in person in some cases, to figure out how to best co-promote our films. We are really looking forward to screening our film with Through Thin Ice, a short film also from Utah. It’s a beautiful film, and I think it will pair really well with Standout.

What in your experience prepared you for taking the directorial reins on this film?

I am lucky to have my two biggest filmmaking influences as producers on Standout. I’ve worked with T.C. Christensen on nearly every film he’s done since the mid-00’s. Not only is he a world-class DP, but he has an immaculate sense of story and also a great business-sense. Having him involved in the production felt like having a filmmaking cheat code. We never would have been able to accomplish what we did on set without him.

I’ve known (producer) Jared Hess since we were teenagers. He has such a unique, refreshing, and authentic point of view in his films, and I’ve been lucky to work with him on a few projects that have taught me a tremendous amount about how to shape a story.

In fact, the project I finished editing just before starting Standout was a Netflix docuseries directed by Jared. It was a five-part series that was the most ambitious project I’d ever been a part of. That really helped me gain the confidence that maybe I could do my own documentary if I ever got the chance.

I’ve been clinging to their coattails my whole career and hope to continue to do so for the rest of it.

How can audiences show their support for organizations supporting people with conditions such as Ben’s?

There are a number of great organizations that help the craniofacial difference community. We are especially grateful for the help that the Children’s Craniofacial Association provided to us. CCA is a terrific organization that strives to empower and give hope to individuals and families affected by facial differences. People can learn how to get involved at ccakids.org.

But most of all, I think the biggest way people can support people like Ben, is by trying to live the way Ben does – unabashedly being themselves, all while lifting others with kindness and compassion.

Photos courtesy of Tanner Christensen.