The 22nd annual celebration of nonfiction cinema is set for February 14-23 in Missoula, Montana.
The 22nd annual edition of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana is gearing up to present a vast array of nonfiction cinema February 14-23. A total of 51 features and 76 short documentary films will be screened in venues across downtown Missoula, with screenings in the festival’s virtual cinema streaming February17-27.
Included in the lineup are several features of special interest to C&I readers. Here is a partial list, with synopses provided by the Big Sky Documentary Festival.
A Buffalo Story
As buffalo return to the North American landscapes they once defined, the important ecological and cultural impacts of that restoration have begun to manifest. A Buffalo Story follows the work of Jason Baldes, the Tribal Buffalo Manager for buffalo restoration on the Wind River Reservation, whose efforts to help people believe in buffalo again require him to confront his own trauma. Providing vital historical context and revealing the intricate and spectacular grassland ecosystems in buffalo country, A Buffalo Story examines the forces and mindsets that undermined that ancient relationship in the first place and how buffalo ecosystems can be reimagined today. This stunning film, and the keystone species at at the heart of it, provide important lessons and blueprints for a healthier human relationships with wild animals and places.
Called to the Mountains
Bluegrass 45, from Kobe, Japan was one of the most prolific bluegrass bands in the 1960s. Fifty years later, they reunite to retrace their 1971 tour deep in the American South. With infectious joy and humor, Called to the Mountains explores their unique musical world, as we get to know the individuals who make up the band and their connection to the music and culture that called them, accepted them, and forever changed their identities ––from 5,000 miles away.
Demon Mineral
Demon Mineral documents the Indigenous struggle for vital living space in the radioactive desert of the American Southwest. Spanning the breadth of the Navajo Nation, in a landscape perforated by abandoned uranium mines, the film unearths efforts to reclaim sacred homeland. Shot over the course of 4 years with Diné (Navajo) community oversight and guidance, the film examines the legacy of uranium extraction from the perspectives of both the landscape and its inhabitants.
Greener Pastures
Greener Pastures captures the day-to-day lives of four small, multigenerational family farms over the course of four years, told through the stories of farmers living at the intersection of climate change, globalization and a mental health crisis. It is a story of perseverance, patience and determination that tackles nothing less than the future of farming in America.
The Herricanes
The Houston Herricanes were a part of the first women’s full tackle football league in the 1970s. Their unknown story is one of commitment, courage, and strength. Despite adversity and hardship, they fielded a team purely for the love of the game. What they started was a movement that is still in motion today.
Saints and Warriors
Throughout the course of the Haida basketball season, leaders of iconic rez ball team the Skidegate Saints compete for two titles - defending their All Native Basketball Championship, while also battling for title to their land and waters with the government that stole it from them with the Indian Act.
She Cried That Day
Christine Means and her family have spent years questioning the circumstances surrounding her sister’s death. In 2019, a renewed sense of hope for justice places Christine at the center of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives movement in New Mexico. As she becomes a voice for her sister, we get an inside look into how this deadly crisis takes a toll on a family, a community and a state.
Tiwahe
Tiwahe is a vibrant, slice-of-life portrait spanning four generations of the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes in Hays, MT on the Fort Belknap Reservation.
Two Medicine
Chazz Racine, a determined rider for Carlson Relay, fiercely represents the Blackfeet Nation in Indian Relay. Beyond the track, he faces personal battles—his brother’s fight with cancer, his friend’s struggle with alcoholism, and his own past trauma. Drawing strength from the Creator, Chazz strives to rise as both a champion and a symbol of resilience for his community.
