Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF KATRINA GILBERT

More than 130 non-fiction films are announced as the official selections for the 11th Annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, which takes place February 15-23 in Missoula, Montana. Continuing a tradition with HBO Documentary Films, the festival’s opening night will once again center on an early look at an upcoming film from the network’s documentary film division. PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF KATRINA GILBERT is described as a searing and heartfelt portrayal of a single mom who struggles under the poverty line despite working a full-time job. Paycheck is executive-produced by Maria Shriver, and is part of the Emmy-winning journalist’s series “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink.”

The festival has embraced comedy as its theme for 2014, which will be anchored by a live set from renowned comic Tig Notaro.  Other strands of note include “Made in Montana”, which showcases films shot in or created by filmmakers living in Big Sky Country, and “The Wild 50,” a collection of films selected to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Wilderness Act, the screenings of which will be free to the public.

2014 FEATURE COMPETITION

A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at the New York Times
A World Not Ours
Alive Inside
Bending Steel
Death Metal Angola
Rent a Family
This Ain’t No Mouse Music
Trucker and the Fox (Ranande va roobah)
Whitey: United States of America V. James J. Bulge
Who Took Johnny

2014 BIG SKY AWARD COMPETITION

Art is War
Momenta
Occupy the Farm
Transmormon
Uranium Drive-In
Where God Likes To Be
White Earth

2014 SHORT COMPETITION

Bhiwani Junction
Blessed Fruit of the Womb
Can’t Stop the Water
Eddie Adams: Saigon ‘68
Herd in Iceland
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
The Record Breaker
Stay Where You Are
Vacant Seat
What I Hate About Myself

2014 MINI-DOC COMPETITION

Adrift
Eugene
Finding Home
Haenyeo: Woman of the Sea
Jared Lyell
Of Cows and Men
Shaped on all Six Sides
Shell Game
The Pixel Painter
Yapawarnti Palu Rijikarrijani (Children Playing)

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[caption id="attachment_3196" align="alignnone" width="550"]First Comes Love[/caption]

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival takes place February 15-24, 2013 at the Crystal Theatre and the historic Wilma Theatre in downtown Missoula, Missouri.

This year’s festival kicks off February 15 with a free screening of “First Comes Love” sponsored by HBO Documentary Films. Described as “A wry autobiographical story of a single woman choosing to have a baby on her own,” “First Comes Love” premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

The film lineup is very diverse, from a three-minute portrait of a talented young wood sculptor in Nigeria (“Artist Hustler”) to a 146-minute exploration of the career and personality of one of the most influential politicians of modern times (“The World According to DickCheney”). There are films about the plight of small dairy farmers in Maine, the challenges faced by Muslims attempting to build the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” in New York City, and the colorful personalities of a parking lot circus troupe in Rio de Janeiro.

Films by Montana filmmakers will be featured, including the world premiere of Damon Ristau’s “Saved By the Birds,” a moving documentary about a woman whose record-setting career as a bird watcher began with a near-suicide.

To celebrate the festival’s 10th birthday, the schedule will also include a look back at some of the most beloved and popular films from past festivals. Films featured in the “Best of 10” include Linda Hattendorf’s “Cats of Mirikatani,” Les Blank’s “Gap Toothed Women,” David Silberberg’s “Oh My God! It’s Harrod Blank!” and others.  

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival takes place February 15-24, 2013

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Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announced the official selections for the 10th annual festival, being held February 15-24, 2013 at the Historic Wilma and Crystal Theaters in downtown Missoula, Montana.  The 2013 program was curated from more than 1000 entries from around the globe.  The opening night film, Nina Davenport’s “First Comes Love,” will be free and open to the public, courtesy of HBO Documentary Films.

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 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has announced the official selections for their ninth annual event to be held in Missoula, Montana February 17-26, 2012, at the Historic Wilma Theatre.  The 144 film program, culled from nearly 1000 entries from all over the world will feature a free opening night screening of Matthew Akers’s new film Marina Abramovi  The Artist is Present .

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The judges of the 8th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival have announced this year’s award winning films in the four competitive categories: Best Feature, Big Sky Award, Best Short Film and Best Mini Doc (under 15 minutes). The awards were announced Thursday evening at a ceremony at The Loft in downtown Missoula. The Feature Category winner will receive $1000, while the films in the other three categories will receive a cash prize of $500, courtesy of The Documentary Channel.

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Big Sky Documentary Film Festival kicks off its 8th year this Friday at the historic Wilma Theatre in downtown Missoula with a FREE screening of Peter D. Richardson’s film, HOW TO DIE IN OREGON, sponsored by HBO Documentary Films.

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Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has announced the official selections for their eighth annual event to be held in Missoula, Montana February 11-20, at the Historic Wilma Theatre.  The 140 film program, culled from nearly 1000 entries from all over the world will feature a live performance by indy rock band Yo La Tengo, a free opening night screening of Peter D. Richardsons How To Die In Oregon (sponsored by HBO Documentary Films), a retrospective of films by venerable filmmaker Chuck Workman, and more than twenty-five World, North American and US premiers of new non-fiction films.

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