The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is the premier venue for non-fiction film in the American West. Big Sky offers an ideal setting for filmmakers to premiere new work and develop lasting relationships with fellow filmmakers and industry. The festival draws an audience of 20,000 and film entries from every corner of the globe to a uniquely intimate mountain town setting with a local Montana flavor.
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival started in 2004 and takes place in Missoula, Montana, USA
Ahead of the world premiere at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival on February 16th and screening at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles on February 23rd and 24th, here is the first official trailer for Stolen Kingdom, director Joshua Bailey’s documentary feature debut.
Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter’s documentary The Stand will have its US premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, which takes place February 14 to 23 in Missoula, Montana.
Filmmaker Elizabeth Leiter’s captivating documentary 399: Queen of the Tetons will make its World Premiere as the Opening Night selection at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.
The 21st annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival returns February 16-25, 2024 in Missoula, Montana featuring over 150 nonfiction films, and a virtual program streaming online February 19-29.
The world premiere of Corey McLean’s Havana Libre, documenting the fight to legitimize surfing in Cuba will open the 2021 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula. The festival will close with Ann Kaneko’s Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust, a documentary on a fresh interpretation of the Japanese American confinement site by examining the environmental and political history behind the World War II camp.
100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE[/caption]
The 2017 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announced the winning films, awarding the Big Sky Award to 100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE by Melinda Janko.
Says Festival Director Rachel Gregg: “We’re extremely proud to have been able to share these incredibly accomplished films with the people of Montana and all our visiting guests. We’re thrilled to provide an opportunity for these movies to find an even larger audience thanks to the reach of these prestigious awards. Thanks to our juries for making the hard decisions!”
With over 200 films in the festival, the following competition films have been given awards in the four categories.
Big Sky Award: Presented to one film that artistically honors the character, history, tradition and imagination of the American West
WINNER: 100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
Melinda Janko, 2016, USA, 76 minutes / Montana Premiere
100 Years is the David vs. Goliath story of Elouise Cobell’s courageous fight for justice for 300,000 Native Americans whose mineral rich lands were mismanaged by the United States Government. For 30 years Elouise Cobell fought “the good fight.” This is the compelling true story of how she prevailed and made history.
Big Sky Artistic Vision Award
WINNER: OYATE
Dan Girmus , 2016, USA, 73 minutes / World Premiere
OYATE is a film about life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. It follows two families as they go about their daily activities over the course of a single summer. They attend rodeos, shoot clay pigeons, and participate in pow wows. Family members get married, have children, and celebrate the 4th of July. All the while, the difficult, often intractable realities of modern reservation life threaten to encroach upon them.
Jury statement: In recognition of the film’s artistic merit, approach and cinematography, the jury presents Dan Grimus’s OYATE the Artistic Vision Award for its cinematic eye, observational gaze, and ability to capture the beauty in the everyday.
Mini-Doc Competition – films 15 minutes and under
WINNER: THE FOURTH KINGDOM
Alex Lora, Adan Aliaga, 2017, Spain, USA, 14 minutes / World Premiere
The Fourth Kingdom is the kingdom of plastics, a redemption center in NY for immigrants and underdogs where the American Dream becomes possible indeed.
Short Competition – films between 15 and 40 minutes in length
WINNER: KAYAYO: THE LIVING SHOPPING BASKETS
Mari Bakke Riise, 2016, Norway, 32 minutes / North American Premiere
In the capital of Ghana, 10,000 girls from the ages of 6 work as real life shopping baskets – called Kayayo, carrying heavy loads on their head (from 130 to 220 pounds), earning very little and some end up in prostitution to make ends meet. This documentary is about Bamunu, an 8-year old girl who hasn’t seen her family since she was sent away from home two years ago to work as a Kayayo to support her family. We follow her incessant longing to get away from the harsh markets, her journey back home and what awaits there.
Shorts Competition Artistic Vision Award
WINNER: THE RAIN WILL FOLLOW
Eugene Richards, 2016, USA — 15 minutes / Northwest Premiere
Though confined to a nursing home, 90-year-old Melvin Wisdahl lives an interior life, filled with images of the war he fought in, the struggles of the early Norwegian settlers of North Dakota, his ghost town of a home, his love of the ever-evolving and threatened land.
Jury Statement: The jury presents an Artistic Vision Award to THE RAIN WILL FOLLOW, which beautifully marries internal and external landscape imagery in a way that infuses the whole film with a third complete and powerful through line.
Feature Competition – films over 40 minutes in length
WINNER: CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS
Bartle B Bull, 2017, USA, 100 minutes / Northwest Premiere
Fighting for your life in the city of dreams. Three extraordinary young people battle to change their lives through the three-month odyssey of the New York Daily News Golden Gloves—the biggest, oldest, most important amateur boxing tournament in the world.
Feature Competition Artistic Vision Award
WINNER: LET THERE BE LIGHT
Mila Aung-Thwin, 2017, Canada, 100 minutes / World Premiere
LET THERE BE LIGHT follows the story of dedicated scientists working to build a small sun on Earth, which would unleash perpetual, cheap, clean energy for mankind. After decades of failed attempts, a massive push is now underway to crack the holy grail of energy.
Jury Statement – In recognition of the film’s artistic merit and educational value, the jury presents LET THERE BE LIGHT with an Artistic Vision Award for its cinematic eye, innovative animation, and engaging (passionate) investigation into the future of fusion (clean energy).
LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet[/caption]
Before a boisterous crowd packed into The Loft in downtown Missoula last week, the juries of the 2016 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival revealed their selections in the festivals four competition categories.
Winners include LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet, FOLLOWING KINA, directed by Sonia Goldenberg, HUNTING IN WARTIME, directed by Samantha Farinella and ZONE BLANCHE, directed by Gaëlle Cintré.
Feature Competition films over 40 minutes in length
Winner: LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet – For centuries, the Bunong indigenous people of Eastern Cambodia lived with elephants, depending on them for every aspect of life. Now with the forest around them threatened by logging and mining companies, both the Bunong and the elephant face a desperate struggle to survive.
Jury Statement: We were struck by the film’s sensitive exploration of the mythic relationship between elephants and people among the Bunong people of Cambodia. The film is beautifully and patiently shot. By capturing the interdependency between the Bunong and their elephants, it turns these amazing animals into characters in their own right.
Artistic Vision Award, Feature: FOLLOWING KINA, directed by Sonia Goldenberg – When Kina Malpartida won her title as the first Peruvian World Boxing Champion, the country was struck by a female boxing fever. Inspired by her, two young women fight against all odds to sustain a dream and become the next champion. Without any official support, they are driven by passion and perseverance to succeed in a totally male-dominated sport.
Jury Statement: We were highly impressed with the manner in which the film takes viewers into the real world of womens boxing in Peru, culminating in the insightful depiction of the rural and urban backdrops to two women, Alicia and Anita, both of whom hope to follow in the footsteps of Kina Malpardita.
Big Sky Award – Presented to one film that artistically honors the character, history, tradition and imagination of the American West.
Winner: HUNTING IN WARTIME, directed by Samantha Farinella – Profiles of Tlingit veterans from Hoonah, Alaska who saw combat during the Vietnam War. The veterans talk about surviving trauma, relating to Vietnamese civilians, readjusting to civilian life, and serving a government that systematically oppresses native people. Their stories give an important human face to the combat soldier and show the lasting affects of war on individuals, families and communities.
Short Competition films between 15 and 40 minutes in length
Winner: DAGUAVA DELTA, directed by Rainer Komers – Far from the centre of the Latvian city of Riga, the suburbs Bolderāja and Daugavgriva are a kind of social island or biotope – a blend of apartment and detached family houses, backyards, shipyards, docks, yacht club, sea academy, historic fortress and barracks. Here, where the Daugava River flows into the Bay of Riga, anglers crowd the sunny mole during the spawning season of sprat, while veterans in the local pub are in memorial of their fallen fathers on Victory Day.
Artistic Vision Award, Short Competition: ZONE BLANCHE, directed by Gaëlle Cintré – Four women who are electro-hypersensitive -a rare condition where people find themselves acutely intolerant to electromagnetic fields, including cell phone signals and WiFi- are driven deep into the Alps in search for remote shelters. Because of their extreme condition, their way of life, between a primitive existence and post-apocalyptic science-fiction, has never been photographed. Until now.
Jury Statement: Working within the constraints of being unable to record with any electronic digital media, Zone Blanche creates a rich portrait of women who must live outside of society because of their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. Utilizing the poetic language of avant-garde cinema, the film draws on the documentary impulse to give the audience access to the experiences of people who don’t have the option to tell their stories in contemporary digital media.
Mini-Doc Competition films 15 minutes and under
Winner: MINING, POEMS, OR ODES, directed by Callum Rice – Robert, an ex-shipyard welder from Scotland, reflects on how his life experiences have influenced his new found compulsion to write. His retrospective poetry revels a man who is trying to achieve a state of contentment through words and philosophy.
Artistic Vision Award. Mini-Doc Competition: A CEREBRAL GAME, directed by Reid Davenport – A filmmaker with cerebral palsy ponders his changing identity through the lens of baseball.
Jury Statement: The jury is pleased to present an Artistic Vision Award to A Cerebral Game, a film we feel especially demonstrates the core virtues of perseverance and passion that are essential to the art of filmmaking itself, and perhaps especially to the documentary genre. It’s quite an accomplishment to make a great documentary of any length – but this filmmaker has emerged against all odds. In this case, the filmmaker narrates his own story while creating a visual landscape that is at once disorienting and nostalgic – and the result is so raw and compelling it’s impossible to turn away. We open on shaky ground and come to discover, thanks to this director’s honesty and fearlessness, that we are watching the results of his inability to hold the camera steady – and that that ability is not what makes great filmmaking. He has the talent and fortitude to move forward and work on his dream and the resulting film is truly moving and inspiring.
More than 200 films have been selected to screen at the 13th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF), which takes place February 19-28, 2016, in downtown Missoula, Montana. Continuing a 10-year tradition, the festival kicks off on Friday, February 19th with a free public screening of an upcoming feature from HBO Documentary Films. This year’s opener is MAVIS!, an intimate look at the life of gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, the Staple Singers.
In addition to the lineup of new films, BSDFF welcomes Lucy Walker and Ondi Timoner, two hugely talented and influential directors, as retrospective artists. Walker, a British director whose films include features THE CRASH REEL and WASTE LAND, has earned more than 80 awards and two Academy Award nominations. BSDFF will screen her entire body of work, as well as a new virtual reality project. Timoner is the only two-time recipient of Sundances Grand Jury Prize, for the documentaries DIG! and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC. Seven of her films will be screened during the 10-day festival, including her 2015 film, BRAND: A SECOND COMING, about the actor, comedian and activist Russell Brand. Walker and Timoner will be among the many filmmakers in attendance, offering festival goers the chance to engage in post-screening Q&As.
The full list of Official Selections.
The themes of impact” and change” are at the forefront of this years DOCSHOP, Big Sky’s filmmaking conference that takes place during the festival (February 22nd 26th). For five days, content creators from across the nation will come together and share their stories of making media that has proven to be a catalyst for positive change. In addition to helping visiting filmmakers hone their skills and develop their careers, DocShop offers the general public a fascinating look inside the business of documentary filmmaking. Filmmakers, activists, content creators and life-learners will engage in panels, workshops and works-in-progress review sessions from some of the most accomplished media-makers and industry professionals on the planet.
SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER
The 2015 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival revealed the winners in the festival’s four competition categories and SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER which documents Norweigan siblings Magnar and Oddny won the Feature Award.
MINI-DOC AWARD – (15 minutes and under)
Winner: CAILLEACH, directed by Rosie Reed Hillman
Artistic Vision Award: OMID, directed by Jawad Wahabzada
Jury statements: CAILLEACH is a portrait of Morag, an 86-year old woman who revels in her aloneness on the Isle of Harris in the house in which she was born. This stunning film reconciles how time can stand still while the years pass by in rhythmic ruggedness.
The craft of storytelling is alive in OMID, which looks in the face of contemporary cinema to open the eyes of the world.
Jury: Filmmakers John Cohen and Adam Singer; Tracy Rector, Longhouse Media
SHORT FILM AWARD – (15 and 40 minutes in length)
Winner: LA REINA, directed by Manuel Abramovich
Jury statement: LA REINA is a devastating combination of artistic vision, storytelling, cinematic composition, and perspective as we follow the experience of a young, privileged Argentinian girl who is pushed to excel in a way that one imagines extends to every facet of her life. It is truly devastating – in the best sense of that word.
Jury: Alexandra Hannibal, Tribeca Film Institute; Christoph Green, Trixie Film; Noland Walker, ITVS
BIG SKY AWARD –
Presented to a film that artistically honors the character, history, tradition and imagination of the American West.
Winner: LOVE AND TERROR ON THE HOWLING PLAINS OF NOWHERE, directed by Dave Janetta.
Artistic Vision Award: FISHTAIL, directed by Andrew Renzi
Jury statement: FISHTAIL presents a quiet nostalgic beauty for a way of life that has drifted from mainstream consciousness. Its poetic, intimate story, portrayed through magnificent cinematography, shows a vibrant American West in which the ranchers connect deeply with their work and the land.
Jury: Producer Sandy Itkoff; Julie Campfield, ro*co films; Nikki Hayman, POV
FEATURE AWARD – (over 40 minutes in length)
Winner: SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER
Jury statement: SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER is a poetic and warm portrayal of the siblings Magnar and Oddny, whose existence and everyday life seems frozen in time. Capturing the beauty of family ties, as well as of the Norwegian landscape. Stunning cinematography.
Jury: Brian Newman, Sub-Genre Media; Journalist Erik Augustin-Palm; Mia Desroches, National Film Board of Canada; Tracy Rector, Longhouse Media.
GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF
The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has released the lineup of 40 films, plus opening night film Alex Gibney’s GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF.
The 12th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) opens February 6th with a free screening, fresh from its Sundance premiere, of Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney’s GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF.
The film, which is controversial in its own right, is based on the controversial book of the same title by Pulitzer-winning journalist Lawrence Wright, who is featured in the film along with eight former members of the Church of Scientology. The book drew significant litigation from the Church, and HBO expects the same for the film. The film will enjoy a limited theatrical and festival run before its broadcast premiere on HBO in March.
The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has also released the list of 40 films vying to win one of four juried competitions.
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Competitions –
Mini-Doc Award –
BREAK KIDS, Emily Kassie, 8 minutes
BROKEN LANDSCAPES, Michael T. Miller, 13 minutes
CAILLEACH, Rosie Reed Hillman, 14 minutes
THE LAST SMALLHOLDER, Francis Lee, 9 minutes
LITTLE HERO, Marcus A. McDouglad & Jennifer Medvin, 10 minutes
LUCHADORA, River Finlay, 12 minutes
OMID, Jawad Wahabzada, 9 minutes
SLOW SEASON, John Fiege, 6 minutes
TREASURE ISLAND, Elizabeth Lo & Melissa Langer, 7 minutes
UNDER THE BED, Michael Galinsky & Suki Hawley, 11 minutes
MINI-DOC JURY –
John Cohen, Filmmaker
Yarrow Kramer, Filmmaker
Adam Singer, Filmmaker
Short Documentary Award –
BROKEN CITY POETS, Ariane Wu, 29 minutes
CONTROVERSIES, Ryan Mckenna, 22 minutes
FIGHTER BY NATURE, JP Keenan & Aryelle Cormier, 28 minutes
GROWING HOME, Faisal Attrache, 21 minutes
HINOKI FARM, Akiro Hellgardt, 29 minutes
LA REINA, Manuel Abramovich, 19 minutes
MIE NISHI, Bruno Caticha, 19 minutes
POUTERS, Paul Fegan, 17 minutes
SANTA CRUZ DEL ISLOTE 19 minutes
THE VOW, Cameron Zohoori, 40 minutes
SHORT DOCUMENTARY JURY –
Christoph Green, Filmmaker
Alexandra Hanibal, Tribecca DocFund
Noland Walker, ITVS
Feature Documentary Award –
1971, Johanna Hamilton, 80 minutes
BOYS WITH BROKEN EARS, Nima Shayeghi, 80 minutes
HIP HOP-ERATION, Bryn Evans, 93 minutes
MEET THE HITLERS, Matt Ogens, 83 minutes
NOW EN ESPANOL, Andrea Meller, 67 minutes
PERSONAL GOLD, Tamara Christopherson, 89 minutes
SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER, Frode Fimland, 85 minutes
THERE WILL BE NO STAY, Patty Dillon, 71 minutes
TOP SPIN, Sara Newens & Mina T. Son, 76 minutes
TRUE SON, Kevin Gordon, 72 minutes
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY JURY
Erik Augustin Palm, Journalist
Desroches Mia, National Film Board of Canada
Tracy Rector, Filmmaker
Brian Newman, Producer
Big Sky Award –
BILLY MIZE AND THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND, William J. Saunders, 95 minutes
BY BLOOD, Sam Russell & Marcos Barbery, 63 minutes
CHILDREN OF THE ARCTIC, Nick Brandestini, 94 minutes
DAUGHTERS OF EMMONAK, Graeme Aegerter, Bobby Moser, & Samantha Andre, 17 minutes
DESERT HAZE, Sofie Benoot, 109 minutes
FISHTAIL, Andrew Renzi, 61 minutes
FLORENCE, ARIZONA, Andrea B. Scott, 77 minutes
GAUCHO DEL NORTE, Sofian Khan & Andres Caballero, 58 minutes
LOVE AND TERROR: ON THE HOWLING PLAINS OF NOWHERE, Dave Jannetta, 100 minutes
THE LAST SEASON, Sara Dosa, 80 minutes
BIG SKY AWARD JURY
Sandra Itkoff, Producer
Julie Campfield, RocoFilms
Nikki Heyman, POV
A DOG NAMED GUCCI, Gorman Bechard
The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announced the lineup for the 2015 festival, which includes a record number of screenings.
Now in its 12th year, the festival runs from February 6-16 across four venues in downtown Missoula, Montana, and will include four competitions in the Feature, Short, Mini-Doc, and Big Sky Award categories. Competition films, thematic strands, Big Sky Doc Shop events, and special presentations will be announced in mid-January.
2015 BIG SKY DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTIONS –
1971, Johanna Hamilton, 80 minutes
20/NOTHING, Rachel Stevens, 6 minutes
A DOG NAMED GUCCI, Gorman Bechard, 83 minutes
A LINE IN THE SAND, Justin Clifton & Chris Cresci, 2 minutes
ABDULAI, Aidan Avery, 14 minutes
ABOVE ALL ELSE, John Fiege, 95 minutes
ABOVE THE ALLEY, BENEATH THE SKY, Dominic Gill, 24 minutes
ALMOST THERE, Dan Rybicky & Aaron Wickenden, 93 minutes
AN HONEST LIAR, Justin Weinstein & Tyler Measom, 90 minutes
AND WE WERE YOUNG, Andy Smentanka, 111 minutes
BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS, Cheryl Furjanic, 86 minutes
BADGER CREEK, Randy Vasquez & Jonathan Skurnik, 8 minutes
BAJA’S SECRET MIRACLE, Eliana Alvarez Martinez,12 minutes
BARD IN THE BACKCOUNTRY, Cindy Stillwell & Tom Watson, 56 minutes
BASHIR’S VISION, Daniel Roher, 15 minutes
BEDEVIL, Sam Carroll, 67 minutes
BEING EVEL, Daniel Junge, 100 minutes
BELLY OF THE BEAST, Rob Norton, 15 minutes
BIG MOCCASIN, Chelsea Moynehan & Andrew Moynehan, 66 minutes
BILL ORHMANN: LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH. Rob Norton, 8 minutes, 2012
BILLY MIZE AND THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND, William Saunders, 95 minutes
BLACKSUN, Jon Bougher & Kohl Threlkeld, 7 minutes
BLENDHER, John Frank Freeman, 11 minutes
BLINDSIGHT, Bob Sacha, 16 minutes
BOYS WITH BROKEN EARS, Nima Shayeghi, 80 minutes
BRAVE NEW WILD, Oakley Anderson-Moore, 75 minutes
BREAK KIDS, Emily Kassie, 8 minutes
BROKEN CITY POETS, Ariane Wu, 29 minutes
BROKEN LANDSCAPES, Michael T. Miller, 13 minutes
BROKEN SONG, Claire Dix, 71 minutes
BUGARACH, Sergi Cameron, Ventura Durall & Salvador Sunyer, 90 minutes
BY BLOOD, Sam Russell & Marcos Barbery, 63 minutes
CAILLEACH, Rosie Reed Hillman, 14 minutes
CHILDREN OF THE ARCTIC, Nick Brandestini, 94 minutes
CJ HENDRY: PEN ON PAPER, Rob Norton, 3 minutes
COACHING COLBURN, Jeff Bemiss, 16 minutes
COMIC BOOK HEAVEN, E.J. McLeavey-Fisher, 12 minutes
CONTROVERSIES, Ryan Mckenna, 22 minutes
COUNTING THE DEAD, Catharine Axley, 7 minutes
CRAZY CARL AND HIS MAN BOOBS, Mike Woolf, 50 minutes
CROOKED CANDY, Andrew Rodgers, 6 minutes
DAUGHTERS OF EMMONAK, Graeme Aegerter, Bobby Moser & Samantha Andre, 17 minutes
DAVID & ME, Ray Klonsky & Marc Lamy, 69 minutes
DAVID HOCKNEY IN THE NOW, Lucy Walker, 6 minutes
DESERT HAZE, Sofie Benoot, 109 minutes
DIVIDE IN CONCORD, Kris Kaczor & Dave Regos, 83 minutes
DO YOU DREAM IN COLOR?, Abigail Fuller & Sarah Ivy, 76 minutes
DON’T THINK I’VE FORGOTTEN, John Pirozzi, 107 minutes
DRY SEASON, Max Good & Tyler Trumbo, 8 minutes
DRYDEN: THE SMALL TOWN THAT CHANGED THE FRACKING GAME, Chris Jordan-Blochm 11 minutes
F-LINE, Silvia Turchin, 9 minutes
FIGHTER BY NATURE, JP Keenan & Aryelle Cormier, 28 minutes
FINDING TRACTION, Jaime Jacobsen, 57 minutes
FISHTAIL, Andrew Renzi, 61 minutes
FLORENCE, ARIZONA, Andrea B. Scott, 77 minutes
FOR ALL, Rachel Stevens, 15 minutes
FUNGIPHILIA RISING, Madison Mcclintock, 13 minutes
GARDENERS OF EDEN, Anneliese Vandenberg & Austin Peck, 62 minutes
GAUCHO DEL NORTE, Sofian Khan, 58 minutes
GIAP’S LAST DAY AT THE IRONING BOARD FACORY, Tony Nguyen, 25 minutes
GNARLY IN PINK, Benjamin Mullinkosson & Kristelle Laroche, 7 minutes
GODKA CIRKA, Àlex Lora & Antonio Tibaldi, 10 minutes
GROWING HOME, Faisal Attrache, 21 minutes
HEARTS AND MINDS, Peter Davis, 112 minutes, 1974
HIGHRISE (An interactive documentary), Katerina Cizek
HINOKI FARM, Akiro Hellgardt, 29 minutes
HIP HOP-ERATION, Bryn Evans, 93 minutes
HOLLOW (An Interactive Documentary), Elaine Mcmillion
HOTEL 22, Elizabeth Lo, 8 minutes
HUNGRY HORSE, Pieter ten Hoopen, Tim McLaughlin & Brian Storm, 43 minutes
IN COUNTRY, Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara, 80 minutes
ISLE DE JEAN CHARLES, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, 9 minutes
JALANAN, Daniel Ziv, 107 minutes
JORDANNE, Zak Razvi, 5 minutes
JUNK STUDIO, Kier Atherton, 7 minutes
KOSMA, Sonja Blagojevic, 75 minutes
KUNG FU ELLIOT, Matthew Bauckman & Jaret Belliveau, 128 minutes
LA ALFOMBRA ROJA, Iosu Lopez, 12 minutes
L.A. MINER, Thomas Wood, 24 minutes
LA REINA, Manuel Abramovich, 19 minutes
LADY BE GOOD: INSTRUMENTAL WOMEN IN JAZZ, Kay Ray, 80 minutes
LAST STOP IN SANTA ROSA, Elizabeth Lo, 5 minutes
LITTLE HERO, Marcus A. McDouglad & Jennifer Medvin, 10 minutes
LIVES WORTH LIVING, Eric Neudel, 60 minutes
LOVE AND TERROR: ON THE HOWLING PLAINS OF NOWHERE, Dave Jannetta, 100 minutes
LUCHADORA, River Finlay, 12 minutes
MEET THE HITLERS, Matt Ogens, 83 minutes
MIE NISHI, Bruno Caticha, 19 minutes
MINERS SHOT DOWN, Rehad Desai, 86 minutes
MR FOGG, Joseph Dixon, 17 minutes
NATURAL LIFE, Tirtza Even, 76 minutes
NOW EN ESPANOL, Andrea Meller, 67 minutes
OMA EN OPA (Grandma and Grandpa), Charlotte de Bekker, 8 minutes
OMID, Jawad Wahabzada, 9 minutes
ON BEAUTY, Joanna Rudnick, 30 minutes
ONE YEAR LEASE, Brian Bolster, 11 minutes
OUT OF DEEPWOOD, Craig Weflen, 23 minutes
PERSONAL GOLD, Tamara Christopherson, 89 minutes
POUTERS, Paul Fegan, 17 minutes
RETURN OF THE RIVER, Jessica Plumb & John Gussman, 70 minutes
REUNIONS, Naomi Wise, 10 minutes
RUHR RECORD, Rainer Komers, 45 minutes
SALAD DAYS, Scott Crawford, 104 minutes
SANTA CRUZ DEL ISLOTE, Luke Lorentzen, 19 minutes
SHEILD AND SPEAR, Petter Ringbom, 89 minutes
SHOWFOLK, Ned McNeilage, 23 minutes
SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER, Frode Fimland, 85 minutes
SIGHTLINES, Genevieve Bicknell, 16 minutes
SILENCED, James Sipone, 102 minutes
SILENCING THE THUNDER, Eddie Roqueta, 27 minutes
SLOW SEASON, John Fiege, 6 minutes
SOFT VENGENCE: ALBIE SACHS & THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA, Abby Ginzberg, 86 minutes
TERRANCE, Joris Debeij, 6 minutes
THE AGE OF LOVE, Steven Loring, 78 minutes
THE ALAN LANE STORY, Tyler Pfiffner & Kimberly Kozub, 15 minutes
THE CASE OF THE THREE SIDED DREAM, Adam Kahan, 87 minutes
THE DISEASE, Nathaniel Maddux, 15 minutes
THE HIP HOP FELLOW, Kenneth Price, 79 minutes
THE IMMORTALISTS, Jason Sussberg & David Alvarado, 79 minutes
THE LAST SEASON, Sara Dosa, 80 minutes
THE LAST SMALLHOLDER, Francis Lee, 9 minutes
THE LAST STOP IN SANTA ROSA, 5 minutes
THE ORCHESTRA, Francesco Merini & Helmut Failoni, 60 minutes
THE ORPHAN GIRL, Yarrow Kraner, 20 minutes
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS, Edward Lovelace & James Hall, 83 minutes
THE SOWER, Julie Perron, 77 minutes
THE VOW, Cameron Zohoori, 40 minutes
THE WHALE HUNT, (An interactive documentary), Jonathan Harris
THE YEAR WE THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE, Ellen Brodsky, 68 minutes
THERE WILL BE NO STAY, Patty Dillion, 71 minutes
TO LIVE DELIBERATELY, Marshall Granger, 10 minutes
TOMORROW WE DISAPPEAR, Adam Weber & Jim Goldblum, 84 minutes
TONGUE RIVER HOME, Eliza Goode, 5 minutes
TOP SPIN, Sara Newens & Mina T. Son, 76 minutes
TREASURE ISLAND, Elizabeth Lo & Melissa Langer, 7 minutes
TRUE SON, Kevin Gordon, 72 minutes
UNDER THE BED, Michael Galinsky & Suki Hawley, 11 minutes
UNPLUGGED, Mladen Kovacevic, 51 minutes
WAR WITHIN THE WALLS, Courtney Marsh, 28 minutes
WE ARE THE ONES, Jon Michael Shink, Michael Skinner, 62 minutes
WELL NOW YOU’RE HERE, THERE’S NO WAY BACK – 109 minutes
WHERE I CAN’T BE FOUND, Arjun Talwar, 15 minutes
JOHN COHEN RETROSPECTIVE –
ROSCOE HOLCOLM FROM DAISY, KENTUCKY, 29 minutes
MOUNTAIN MUSIC OF PERU, 58 minutes, 1984
GYPSIES SING LONG BALLADS, 28 minutes, 1982
DANCING WITH THE INCAS, 58 minutes, 1991
THE HIGH LONESOME SOUND, 68 minutes, 1963
END OF AN OLD SONG, 27minutes, 1970
SAM GREEN RETROSPECTIVE –
THE LOVE SONG OF BUCKMINSTER FULLER (w/Yo La Tengo), 2012
CLEAR GLASSES, 4 minutes
LOVE LETTER TO THE FOG (A Cinematic Study of Fog In San Francisco), 2013, 10 minutes
UTOPIA, PT. 3: THE WORLD’S LARGEST SHOPPING MALL, 2009, 13 minutes
THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, 28 minutes
LOT 63, GRAVE C, 10 minutes, 2006
THE FABULOUS STAINS: BEHIND THE MOVIE, 1999, 11 minutes
THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND, 2003
RAINBOW MAN/JOHN 3:16
THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS, 60 minutes (w/live score by Brendan Canty, Todd Griffin, & Catherine McRae)
A WORLD NOT OURS
The winners of the 2014 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival’s Feature, Big Sky, Short and Mini-Doc categories were announced before an energized and packed house last night at the Top Hat Lounge in downtown Missoula. The Best Feature award went to A WORLD NOT OURS, described as an intimate and funny portrait of three generations of exile in the refugee camp of Ain el-Helweh, in southern Lebanon. “Through his unique sensibility and keenly perceptive eye, filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel gives us a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Palestinian refugee camp where he grew up,” read the judges’ statement. “In so doing, he creates a remarkable cinematic journey that is both highly personal and strikingly universal.”
The Big Sky Award was earned by URANIUM DRIVE-IN, described as the gripping story of a once-booming Colorado mining town as it grapples with the prospect of a return to the mining industry that offers a conflicting mix of economic prosperity and environmental and health challenges. The film was directed by Susan Beraza. “We chose URANIUM DRIVE-IN for the Big Sky Award because of its balanced and raw look at the realities of mining,” said the jury. “The filmmakers took great care with the subject and the characters and the result is a powerful story about life in the west.” URANIUM DRIVE-IN also took home a cash prize of $1000 sponsored by the Montana Film Office.
The Best Short award winner was THE RECORD BREAKER, described as the funny and surprisingly heartfelt tale of Ashrita Furman, the man with the most Guinness World Records of all time. The film’s director is Brian McGinn. “THE RECORD BREAKER is witty, fast-paced and accomplished, with an engaging character who has found his own personal quirky passion in life,” said the judges. “Underneath the fun, the film grapples with deeper, even profound issues such as the nature of obsession and changing relationships between parents and child.”
And finally, the winner of the Best Mini-Doc award went to EUGENE, directed by Jordan Olshanksy and Jason Stanfield. The 13-minute film, shot over the course of several months, tracks the last days of a homeless man living in the outskirts of San Francisco. The judges’ statement was not available as of press time.
The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival’s status as a qualifying festival for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Short and Mini-Doc categories means that THE RECORD BREAKER and EUGENE are now eligible for consideration for next year’s Oscars.
In addition to the category winners, judges were given the option of presenting an Artistic Vision award in each category. In each case, the jury found a film so deserving. They are: TRUCKER AND THE FOX (Feature), directed by Arash Lahooti; TRANSMORMON (Big Sky), directed by Torben Bernhard; PRISON TERMINAL (Short), directed by Edgar Barens; and ADRIFT (Mini-Doc), directed by Frederik Depickere.
The award screenings will cap a busy final weekend of the nine-day festival. In addition to Friday evening’s full slate of films, screenings will be held in all four festival venues throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, including a slate of “Movies You Missed” made up of some of the most popular films screened during the previous week. Film schedule and information can be found at bigskyfilmfest.org.