Next Stop: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Five projects focusing on the American West have been selected to enter the IF/Then pitch competition at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. The pitch will take place at UC Theater on the University of Montana Campus in Missoula, Montana from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm on the afternoon of Thursday, February 22, 2018 as part of DocShop. The winner will be announced that evening at the Big Sky Festival Party sponsored by Tribeca Film Institute and the Audience Awards at Le Petit Outre. This party begins at 8 PM!

The five projects are:

After the Fire
Directors: Derek Knowles and Spencer Seibert
An intimate chronicle of Sonoma Valley and several of its residents both during and after the recent historic Northern California wildfires.
 

Carnival
Director: April Wright, Producer: John Ansotegui
The formation of an unlikely family when 66 year old Riley Cooke and his wife Vickie start up a new carnival in the northwest.

Forest of Big Fingers
Director: Ryan Glenn, Producer: Sarah Haber
A documentary about the keystone species, friendly neighbor, and cultural icon; the Saguaro cactus. How did this one variety of cactus, native to only the Sonoran Desert, become the synonymous symbol of the American West? 

Hoodie
Director: Johnny Symons, Associate Producer: Daniel Chein
A coming of age story about an African-American teenager as witnessed by his white gay filmmaker father. 

Neqeniighta
Director: Alexandra Stergiou, Producer: Gina Pollack
On a remote island in the Bering Sea, a teenaged whaler must battle mankind and mother nature to feed his family and preserve his way of life. 

Director of IF/Then Mridu Chandra will also be conducting a workshop on how to pitch on February 21st at Big Sky Documentary Film Festivalwith Lisa Hasko, Director of Documentary Programs at Film Independent. 2:00pm  |  The Art of the Pitch