Festival Data:

• Established: 2003
• Genre: Documentary (click to see)

• Competitive
• Retrospective

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival launched its inaugural season in the fall of 2003.
This six-day event screens classic documentary back to back with contemporary films.

Any non-fiction film or video that has not been screened before at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is eligible for entry(including those that have been previously screened on television). The only ineligible films are those that have already been screened at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival includes three separate competition categories – Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short and the Big Sky Award. To be eligible for screening in a competitive category, films must be Montana Premieres and have not been broadcast on the Internet or Television anywhere in the United States. Big Sky competition films can be any length but must be about the American West.

Jurors in each category will choose a winner during the week of the festival. Winners will be announced at the Awards Press Conference in the Big Sky Filmmaker Lounge. Repeat screenings of the award-winning films will be held in the Wilma Theatre.

Best Documentary Feature competition
The award for Best Feature Documentary will be given to one film 50 minutes or longer in length. The winner of this category will receive a $1000 cash prize sponsored by IndiePix. The winner will also receive a complimentary copy of Media 100 Producer Suite video editing software, bundled with Boris Red, courtesy of Media 100/Boris FX.

Best Documentary Short competition
The award for Best Documentary Short will be given to one film up to 50 minutes in length.The winner will receive a full copy of Boris Red integrated 3D compositing, titling, and effects application for Mac/PC operating systems.

Big Sky Award competition
The Big Sky Award will be given to one film of any length concerning the American West. The winner will recieve complimentary Avid Media Composer video editing software, courtesy of Avid.

Artistic Vision Awards :  In addition to the four Best Film Awards, jurors may also award individual Artistic Vision Awards for excellence in craf. One Artistic Vision Award winner will receive complimentary Avid Media Composer video editing software, courtesy of Avid.

Film Submissions:

• Accepts direct submissions
• Submission formats: 16mm, 35mm, MiniDV, DVCam
• Call for Entry: http:/ / www.bigskyfilmfest.org/ entries.html