NICK DAVIS Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
The 19th Annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is a hybrid event. Screenings at Wilma, Roxy, ZACC and MCT run through February 27. The seats are limited; advance purchase of tickets is highly recommended at bigskyfilmfest.org/festival/tickets. Door-to-door sales are not guaranteed to spectators who arrive without a ticket. All tickets are good for in-person or online screenings.
The shorts will be available online from Monday February 21 to Thursday March 3. Feature films will be available for viewing online for four days, beginning the day after the film’s last in-person screening.
Movies
“Hockeyland” — In northern Minnesota, two rival high school hockey teams face off for a coveted state championship in one of the most hockey-obsessed communities in the United States. With the hopes of their cities behind them, the teenagers are under intense pressure to succeed at what seems to be the pivotal moment in their lives. Wilma, 12:30 p.m.
“Objects” — Three people share stories of strange but precious objects that help them find meaning in life. This film is a heartfelt celebration of the useless things we collect and a playful rejection of the “minimalist lifestyle” movement. ZACC, 2:30 p.m.
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“Someone Like Me” — the parallel journeys of Drake, a gay asylum seeker from Uganda, and a group of outsiders from Vancouver’s queer community tasked with supporting his resettlement in Canada. Together they embark on a year-long quest for personal freedom, revealing how, in a world where one must constantly fight for the right to exist, survival itself becomes a victory. Roxy, 2:45 p.m.
“Daughter of a Lost Bird” — Missoula resident Kendra Mylnechuk Potter, an Indigenous woman adopted into a white family, reconnects with her Indigenous identity and begins to see herself as a living legacy of American assimilationist politics. First in Montana. Wilma, 3:15 p.m.
“Tidy” — Set in the Maasai homeland of Kenya, an intimate and contemporary story of self-discovery unfolds, as 12 women become East Africa’s first all-female anti-poaching unit. Reversing the male-dominated reliance on military-style training to make a ranger, Virginia, Liz, Momina and Damaris instead undergo a year-long program of deep trauma release and healing, sparking profound transformation. themselves and sending shockwaves through their communities. First Northwest. Roxy, 5:15 p.m.
“One of Us” — Josiah was adopted as a baby in Haiti and grew up in an Indigenous family in Calgary, Canada. Years later, when Josiah is racially profiled at an Indigenous basketball tournament and denied the right to play a sport he deeply loves, his experience makes headlines. A nuanced examination of adoption, belonging and the complexities of identity. ZACC, 7:30 p.m.
“Kímmapiiyipitssini: the meaning of empathy” — An intimate portrait of the impacts of substance use and the overdose epidemic on the Blackfoot Reserve in Alberta. The film follows community members with substance use disorders, first responders and medical professionals as they adopt radical harm reduction practices. Connecting the traumas of settler colonialism to the contemporary struggles of Indigenous peoples, it is a complex and powerful story of resistance and community care. Roxy, 7:45 p.m.
“Accepted” – TM Landry, an unconventional prep school in Louisiana, has claimed an astonishing 100% college acceptance rate with many students admitted to the most elite colleges. After an explosive NY Times article exposes its dynamic founder’s controversial teaching methods, the school struggles to stay afloat. With intimate access to the school and its students, this film examines the issues and inequalities within the American education system. Wilma, 8 p.m.
The filmmakers present
Questions and answers after the screening of the film
“After Antarctica” – Tasha Van Zandt, director; Sébastien Zeck, producer; Will Steger, subject. ZACC, 11:45 a.m.
“Hockeyland” – Tommy Haines, director; Andrew Sherburn, producer. First Northwest. Wilma, 12:30 p.m.
“Objects” — Vincent Liota, director. ZACC, 2:30 p.m.
“Daughter of a Lost Bird” – Brooke Pepion Swaney, director; Kendra Mylnechuk Potter, subject. Wilma, 3:15 p.m.
“Less Deadly” – Jaime Wilken, director. First in Montana. “Groundhog Town” – David Zucker, director. World premiere. “Black Gold” – Sydney Linden, director. World premiere. “Monumental Divide” – Brian Olliver, director. World premiere. Shorts block, ZACC, 5 p.m.
“Ranger” – Austin J. Peck, director. First Northwest. Roxy, 5:15 p.m.
“Look at the Fish” – Ashleigh McArthur, director. World premiere. “My Duduś” – Tom Krawczyk, director. Block shorts, Wilma, 5:30 p.m.
Festival Headquarters: ZACC, 216 W Main St. Purchase tickets, passes and merchandise. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
