Big Sky Doc Film Fest
Without a doubt, February is always an exciting month for me. Usually it signifies that we are in the thick of winter, and the snow is usually pretty good and fun by then. It’s the shortest month, so the feeling of cruising towards spring also creeps in and gives me thoughts of summer and spring days that lie ahead. February is my dad’s birthday month and the month that for 10 days, Missoula, MT turns into a documentary film lovers paradise as the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival takes over the town. I won’t even try to capture in words how much I dig the festival and all the things that stem from it.
For the past four years, I have partnered with the BSDFF to set up a portrait studio in order to photograph a group of emerging Indigenous filmmakers. Called the 4th World Media Lab Fellows, these creators get to spend a year immersed in education, mentorship, travel to several festivals and being exposed to all sorts of career-building topics. At their stop in Missoula every year, I connect with them to have a portrait session, and every year it’s pure bliss. I have yet to meet a person who wasn’t fascinating, interesting, and driven by their history to create their future. It’s all just so cool to me.
