A YEAR LIKE NONE BEFORE

For the first time in 18 years, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival did not swell the streets of downtown Missoula with film-goers. Filmmakers did not grace the stages at The Wilma, The Roxy, the Elks Lodge or the ZACC, where bucket seats stayed folded, popcorn machines empty and box offices dark. No showing off the MAM or the Radius Gallery to festival tourists, no chance meetings with filmmakers at Le Petit and the KettleHouse, no bonfire and chili feed at Free Cycles, no closing day brunch at Montgomery Distillery. It was a little quieter in Missoula than the usual February, because the world changed last year, so we changed along with it.

More than that...something magical happened.

As we close the book on our 2020-21 season we are exceedingly proud to share with you the annual report for the Big Sky Film Institute, expanded to reflect a year of immense change for the festival, DocShop, our youth programs, and our impact at large. Like many others, we learned a great deal in the last year about what we're capable of and what our communities need. We're grateful to all who supported and took part in this transformation. Thank you, we'll see you again very soon.

WATCH DOCSHOP 2021 SESSIONS ONLINE!

Taking DocShop online in 2021 expanded access to thought leaders like never before, with an exciting slate of artists and professionals exploring issues of power, ethics and agency in documentary filmmaking. Missed the conference in February? We are thrilled to make recorded DocShop 2021 sessions available to view in the wrap report! Click below to learn more about the sessions, the panelists and to watch the sessions at your leisure!

BSFI youth programs are already ramping up for the 2021-22 season! Is there a teen, student or teacher in your life interested in learning more about documentary storytelling and filmmaking? Explore these upcoming opportunities and free documentary programming curated for Montana youth and classrooms!

NFI FILM CLUB OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

The Native Filmmaker Initiative Film Club brings classrooms from across Montana together with renowned filmmakers to explore powerful modern-day Indigenous stories. Click below to learn more about the films and get your classroom registered!

YOUTH FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS OPEN

Missoula area high school students: make a documentary film! A 5-month fellowship with artists in residence at the Big Sky Film Institute, the Big Sky Documentary Youth Fellowship teaches fundamentals of nonfiction storytelling, hands-on filmmaking techniques and exclusive access to the Big Sky Doc Fest. Click below to apply or contact youth@bigskyfilmfest.org for more info!

TEACHER TRAINING AT AUGUST INSTITUTE

Big Sky Film Institute is proud to lead multiple workshops at the 2021 August Institute conference for educators. Mark your calendars for August 5th and 6th for BSFI's seminar on Balancing Truth & Reality: Teaching Media Literacy Through Documentary Film. Visit the Western Montana Professional Learning Collaborative site for more information and register to attend!