Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Missoula, Montana, Montana, United States, North America

19 - 28 Feb, 2021

Academy Award ® Qualifying

Keywords

documentary film, Documentary, academy award qualifying, pitching forum, youth education

Category

Feature

Genre

Documentary

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival logo
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Missoula, Montana, Montana, United States, North America

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General Information

founded

1984

edition

18th

organizers

Rachel Gregg

executive director

Adam Miller

festival coordinator

Contact details

216 W Main Street, Studio 7 Missoula, Montana 59802 United States

59802

programming@bigskyfilmfest.org

406-541-3456

Web & social

Audience

20000 people

About the festival

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is the premier venue for non-fiction film in the American West. Big Sky offers an ideal setting for filmmakers to premiere new work and develop lasting relationships with fellow filmmakers and industry. The festival draws an audience of 20,000 and film entries from every corner of the globe to a uniquely intimate mountain town setting with local Montana flavor.

The festival hosts over 200 visiting artists, presents an average of 150 non-fiction films and offers a variety of exciting events throughout downtown Missoula, Montana. In addition to screenings, Big Sky hosts DocShop, a five-day industry event that includes panels, master classes, workshops, and the Big Sky Pitch session. DocShop participants have included: HBO Documentary Films, Showtime Documentary Films, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Doc Fund, New York Times Video, ESPN Films, Gravitas Ventures, Sub-Genre, Participant Media, BBC Storyville, CNN Films, ITVS, POV, PBS, The Film Collaborative, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Seed & Spark, Film Independent, Field of Vision, The Fledgling Fund and Catapult Film Fund. Big Sky also screens films in schools across the state of Montana reaching over 4,000 students in just four days. Participating filmmakers have the unique opportunity to visit classrooms to present their films and engage students in discussion.

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences qualifying event for short form documentaries. The winner of the Best Mini Doc and Best Short Documentary categories automatically qualify to compete for a Documentary Short Oscar the following year. Distinguished judges from around the country select the winners in each category during the ten day festival. Special guests of the festival have included Les Blank, Barbara Kopple, Steve James, Joe Berlinger, Lucy Walker, Ondi Timoner, Robert Drew, Stanley Nelson, Kirby Dick, Greg Barker, Daniel Junge, Sam Green, John Cohen, Doug Pray, Travis Wilkerson, Jeff & Michael Zimbalist, Cazeh Zahedi, Hart & Dana Perry, Ron Mann, the Ross Brothers, Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and many many more.

Awards & Prizes

BEST FEATURE - (40 minutes & over)

BEST SHORT - (15-39 minutes)

BEST MINI-DOC - (Under 15 minutes)

BIG SKY AWARD - (Films about the American West)

Mission

The mission of BSFI is to celebrate and promote the art of nonfiction filmmaking, and to encourage media literacy by fostering public understanding and appreciation of documentary film. 

About

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is the premier venue for non-fiction film in the American West. Big Sky offers an ideal setting for filmmakers to premiere new work and develop lasting relationships with fellow filmmakers and industry. The festival draws an audience of 20,000 and film entries from every corner of the globe to a uniquely intimate mountain town setting with local Montana flavor.

The festival hosts over 200 visiting artists, presents an average of 150 non-fiction films and offers a variety of exciting events throughout downtown Missoula, Montana. In addition to screenings, Big Sky hosts DocShop, a five-day industry event that includes panels, master classes, workshops, and the Big Sky Pitch session. DocShop participants have included: HBO Documentary Films, Showtime Documentary Films, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Doc Fund, New York Times Video, ESPN Films, Gravitas Ventures, Sub-Genre, Participant Media, BBC Storyville, CNN Films, ITVS, POV, PBS, The Film Collaborative, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Seed & Spark, Film Independent, Field of Vision, The Fledgling Fund and Catapult Film Fund. Big Sky also screens films in schools across the state of Montana reaching over 4,000 students in just four days. Participating filmmakers have the unique opportunity to visit classrooms to present their films and engage students in discussion.

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences qualifying event for short form documentaries. The winner of the Best Mini Doc and Best Short Documentary categories automatically qualify to compete for a Documentary Short Oscar the following year. Distinguished judges from around the country select the winners in each category during the ten day festival. Special guests of the festival have included Les Blank, Barbara Kopple, Steve James, Joe Berlinger, Lucy Walker, Ondi Timoner, Robert Drew, Stanley Nelson, Kirby Dick, Greg Barker, Daniel Junge, Sam Green, John Cohen, Doug Pray, Travis Wilkerson, Jeff & Michael Zimbalist, Cazeh Zahedi, Hart & Dana Perry, Ron Mann, the Ross Brothers, Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and many many more.

BEST FEATURE - (40 minutes & over)

BEST SHORT - (15-39 minutes)

BEST MINI-DOC - (Under 15 minutes)

BIG SKY AWARD - (Films about the American West)

Mission

The mission of BSFI is to celebrate and promote the art of nonfiction filmmaking, and to encourage media literacy by fostering public understanding and appreciation of documentary film. 

Gallery

Awards & Winners

2020

Feature (Winner)

I Am Not Alone (2020) Director(s):

Honorable Mention (Winner)

Feels Good Man (2020) Director(s):

Short (Winner)

Colette (2020) Director(s):

Honorable Mention (Winner)

Church and the Fourth Estate (2020) Director(s):

Big Sky Award (Winner)

Public Trust (2020) Director(s):

Honorable Mention (Winner)

Sisters Rising (2020) Director(s):

Best Mini-Doc (Winner)

2019

Honorable Mention (Winner)

Terms and rules

Submissions are open to nonfiction films and videos of all styles, subjects, and lengths. All films selected for screening will be notified of their status by January 8, 2021. The filmmaker agrees to be responsible for all shipping and insurance costs for shipping materials to the festival office. All submitting filmmakers will be notified of the official selections prior to the festival.

If accepted for screening, your film will screen in Missoula Montana in February 2021 as part of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

ENTRY FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. Should the 2021 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival be canceled or postponed because of an act of God, natural disaster, epidemic, or for any other reason beyond our control, submission fees cannot be refunded.

Films of any completion date are eligible for submission. However, accepted films must not have been shown anywhere in Montana prior to the festival.

Big Sky does not pay screening fees.

Preview screeners and exhibition prints must either be in English or have English subtitles.

Rough cuts are accepted for entry at the final deadline only. If you submit a rough cut, we cannot guarantee that the programmers will be able to review an updated cut at a later date. If you are submitting a rough cut, make sure it is indicated as such. Include the intended final running time and work remaining to be completed with your entry. Big Sky does not exhibit works-in-progress at the festival. Films must be completed by February 1, 2021 in order to be screened.

Entering filmmakers must have one of the following formats available by January 20, 2021, if accepted, for screening at the festival. Blu-Ray or h.264 (.mp4) file.

DCP is NOT an accepted screening format.

You are responsible for updating Big Sky directly regarding any change to your contact information and ensuring that emails from programming@bigskyfilmfest.org are not blocked by spam filters.

Big Sky requires an online screener to be uploaded to Vimeo (password protected private link), Youtube (unlisted link), or the FilmFreeway video player. If you absolutely cannot upload your film please email coordinator@bigskyfilmfest.org for instructions on mailing a physical screener.

All entry deadlines are postmark deadlines. Entries postmarked after the final deadline may not be considered. Submission fees are non-refundable.

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ENTRY FEE DISCOUNTS:

Discounted submission fees are available for Montana filmmakers or filmmakers with Montana-based films and Indigenous filmmakers. Explore the Categories & Fees panel for more information.

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ADDITIONAL TERMS OF ENTRY:
By submitting this documentary, I understand that I am agreeing to the following:

I am currently the copyright owner of this work. Should ownership or rights to my film change, this agreement to screen at the 2021 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, if accepted, will be upheld and not be infringed. I own or control the copyright in and to, and am duly authorized to submit this documentary film to the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (Big Sky) and to the best of my knowledge, all statements on this document are true; This documentary contains no material which could result in tort claims, royalty claims, claims for breach of contract, or claims of any sort whatsoever; If this documentary is selected for screening at Big Sky, I grant Big Sky the right to screen this film in Missoula, Montana, February 19 - February 28, 2021; I understand and agree that this film entry, if selected for the Festival, may be used for promotional purposes for the Festival, Big Sky and/or its partners and I grant Big Sky and its partners the rights to use up to two minutes of footage, photographic stills and/or titles and information from the film for promotional purposes; I fully indemnify and hold Big Sky and its partners harmless from: a) damage to or loss of the film print or videotapes en route to or from Big Sky or during the course of festival possession of the entry; and b) from any claims which may arise in connection with this documentary film. If a claim arises in connection with this film, I will bear all the costs of defense incurred by Big Sky and pay any award of damages which may ensue. I also agree to reimburse Big Sky for any attorney fees incurred in connection with the defense of such a claim. I understand that Big Sky reserves the right to place my film in the appropriate competition category. By submitting my film, I am indicating that I understand, comply with and agree to the Terms of Entry and the eligibility requirements.

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

Feature

Honorable Mention
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $40
Regular (30th September, 2020) $50
Late (16th October, 2020) $60
Age restriction No age restriction
Country Any country
Director's age No restriction
Director's gender Any gender
Student films No
First films No

Short

Mini
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $25
Regular (30th September, 2020) $30
Late (16th October, 2020) $40
Age restriction No age restriction
Country Any country
Director's age No restriction
Director's gender Any gender
Student films No
First films No

Under 15 mins.

Honorable Mention
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $0
Regular (30th September, 2020) $0
Late (16th October, 2020) $0
Age restriction No age restriction
Country Any country
Director's age No restriction
Director's gender Any gender
Student films No
First films No

Big Sky Award

Honorable Mention
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $0
Regular (30th September, 2020) $0
Late (16th October, 2020) $0
Age restriction No age restriction
Country Any country
Director's age No restriction
Director's gender Any gender
Student films No
First films No
Big Sky Award
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $0
Regular (30th September, 2020) $0
Late (16th October, 2020) $0
Age restriction No age restriction
Country Any country
Director's age No restriction
Director's gender Any gender
Student films No
First films No
Feature
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $40
Regular (30th September, 2020) $50
Late (16th October, 2020) $60

40 mins. and over

Short
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $30
Regular (30th September, 2020) $40
Late (16th October, 2020) $50
Age restriction No age restriction
Country Any country
Director's age No restriction
Director's gender Any gender
Student films No
First films No

15-39 mins.

Montana Made
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $5
Regular (30th September, 2020) $5
Late (16th October, 2020) $5

Open to films that are set, at least in part, in Montana, and/or are made by Montana residents. The category is open to films of any length. If selected for screening, entries in this category must be a Montana premiere.

Indigenous Filmmaker
Early Bird (10th July, 2020) $0
Regular (30th September, 2020) $0
Late (16th October, 2020) $0

Open to all Indigenous filmmakers. The category is open to films of any length and subject. If selected for screening, entries in this category must be a Montana premiere. Please contact coordinator@bigskyfilmfest.org for the waiver code to submit to this category.

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