Montana Debut

Film Premiere: A Journey of Understanding in Mississippi Queen

“When I first fell in love I was 17, and it happened to be with a girl. The news hit hard. They’d pray and pray and pray over me. There was a lot of anger and fear. And even a gun. In the South I was taught to love God first and then you love your family second, and I did. And I was really good at it.”

So begins the heartfelt and gripping documentary Mississippi Queen from Missoula filmmaker Paige Williams. The award-winning film, which follows Williams as she delves into her past and fits the jagged pieces into a livable whole, has its Montana premiere tonight as part of Pride Week activities.

The event at the Wilma Theatre kicks off at 7 p.m. and includes live music by Mississippi Queen composer John Floridis and Jenn Adams, whose music is also featured in the film.

The hour-long movie starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 and includes appetizers and talkback following the screening. The film will also be shown June 20 at the Red Lion Fireside Room in Kalispell, at noon. Proceeds will benefit Montana PRIDE 2009.

Stumbling the Walk

Independent Music—Totally

Missoula hosts the premier independent music festival in the Northwest. I’m talking, or course, about Total Fest, which just saw its 7th incarnation go off as a resounding success this past weekend. This is a huge event to wrangle; lots of bands from all over (all of whom needed places to stay, things to eat, gear to protect, etc.) to manage, three nights in a row of rock, and all the promotion and hustling to make it a success. From what I saw Saturday night, it all seemed to go off with less fuss and confusion than most single night shows I’ve had to suffer through with only 3 or 4 bands involved! Just a fantastic effort all around.

Guest review: Idaho Green Expo

Green Expo Should Be Permanent Boise Event

With the Saturday Market and the First Annual Green Expo all being held on Saturday May 17, it was hard to find a parking spot downtown, let alone maneuver through the crowds. The warm and sunny weather beckoned Boiseans to come out and play, and they did – by the thousands.

Boise is beginning to look like a real Metropolis, with people from all over the world at the Expo and many languages being spoken.

Despite the heat, the crowds and the general commotion, people were happy. The atmosphere was festive and chatty, all with one shared interest to learn more about choosing a more environmentally responsible way to live.

"a celebration of the missoula experiece"

River City Roots Festival Lineup Set

The Emmitt-Nershi Band and The Clumsy Lovers will headline this summer's River City Roots Festival in Missoula, its organizers and sponsors announced Tuesday.

The free downtown festival, in its third year, will take place Saturday and Sunday, August 23-24, the weekend before fall classes begin at the University of Montana. Linda McCarthy, director of the Missoula Downtown Association, called the festival "Missoula's signature event."

media & conservation

International Wildlife Film Festival Begins Saturday

The 31st International Wildlife Film Festival begins Saturday in Missoula and rolls through next week. This year's theme is The Changing Planet: A Global Evolution in Media & Conservation.

Special events include a Western barn dance Tuesday sponsored by National Geographic Television; a presentation Thursday by Alastair Fothergill, the executive producer of BBC's Planet Earth and Saving Planet Earth; and a free traveling photo exhibit and a wildlife and art show reception. The WildWalk Parade down Higgins Ave. is Saturday at 12:45 p.m.

Visit the festival's Website (www.wildlifefilms.org) for more information. Click here for the schedule of events, and here for film synopses.

Spade & Spoon: Localizing the Way Westerners Eat

“Class C:” Basketball, Identity and Loss in Rural Montana

On Saturday night the film “Class C” premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. The movie details the lives of a handful of Class C women basketball players in Montana, and as they play each other and make their way to the state championships we learn that basketball is more than a sport for them. It is not just a part of their identity; it is a part of their town’s identity. When they travel to games their hometowns shut down and folks follow the girls across the state to watch them play. At late night parties, they discuss strategy and tournaments won in the past.

But the film is most striking for what it reveals about the loss of small towns and an agricultural way of life in Montana. There is a common sadness among these young women as they talk about their small hometowns. They are not melancholy that they are 255 miles from the nearest mall, but that towns across the Highline and in eastern Montana are shrinking in population and dying.

big sky documentary film festival

Panel Discusses the Business of Documentary Filmmaking

Today’s documentary filmmakers are heading into uncharted territory and faced with trying to make a living as the landscape of the industry continues to change, according to a panel of filmmakers.

Monday afternoon, the Crystal Theatre featured “The Business of Documentary,” a panel of four filmmakers moderated by Danielle DiGiacomo as part of the annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. David Fassio, Mike Steinberg, Simon Kilmurry and Gita Saedi discussed the new features of filmmaking that continue to emerge and the old ones that endure.

big sky documentary film festival

An Ecuadorian Village Stands Strong in “When Clouds Clear”

“First of all, we are not just a few foreigners. Second, we are not guerrilla fighters; we are not terrorists. We are farmers doing our duties as well as demanding our rights be respected.”

These words, uttered by man and backed by many supporters, illustrate how a small group of people can resist a corporate influence that proves detrimental to their environment and way of life.

In When Clouds Clear, showing Monday at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, the isolated people of the small Ecuadorian village of Junin must fight for their land when a foreign mining company looks to move in and displace them.

slideshow: filmmakers' party

Hobnobbing at the Big Sky Film Fest

The Fifth Annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival rolled into Missoula on Thursday, February 14 bringing 106 films from more than 40 countries, including the World Premiere of Missoula’s very own “The Little Red Truck” about the Missoula Children’s Theatre.

Filmmakers gathered on Friday night in the Wilma Theatre's Red Light Green Room to kick off the festival, which runs through Wednesday, February 20 with films showing on both the Wilma 1 and Wilma 2 screens.

NewWest.Net photographer Emily Haas joined Friday night’s festivities at the Filmmakers' Welcome Party. Click here or on the image to view a slideshow of the event.

For a detailed schedule of film screenings at this year's festival, visit www.bigskyfilmfest.org.