Twenty years ago, if someone mentioned the term “documentary," most people would react with total indifference or even aversion. Documentaries were thought to be dry and boring. Films were the purview of Hollywood, and documentaries were mostly absent from public discussions of art, media, culture, education, and public policy.
After a series of theatrical successes in the 1990’s, documentaries have finally entered the mainstream. Documentary is now recognized as a significant art form, a critical tool for education, and a forum for discussion of a wide range of social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues. Furthermore, documentary can be just as entertaining, if not more so, than narrative film. Documentaries connect us with the human experience like no other art form. They inspire our deepest passions, hopes, fears, and ideals. They have revolutionized how media is delivered and perceived by the public, and have challenged us to think critically about some of the most important subjects of our time.
The Big Sky Film Institute exists to continue in the venerable traditions of documentary film and to take it beyond the current limits of the genre.
The Documentary Dilemma
Documentary is now recognized as a major film genre, but there are major obstacles that undermine its scope and hinder growth in the medium. Production of documentaries can be expensive, and there are very few resources available to independent producers. On the distribution end, outlets exist for independent producers, but there are few broadcast and exhibition venues that pay well enough to support the work. There are also few resources to effectively market and distribute documentaries, especially for independent producers who lack the financial and administrative resources to successfully promote and distribute their work. People are yearning for documentaries with quality educational, artistic, and entertainment value, yet the industries that control most distribution are not keeping up with the demand. The end result is that hundreds of excellent, innovative, and important documentaries are made every year that do not find wide distribution to the general public.
Defying the Odds
The Big Sky Film Institute (BSFI) was established to go beyond the early success of the documentary form and expand the limits of independent production, distribution, and exhibition. Our goal is to provide a successful model of production and distribution, as well as to maintain and cultivate a world-class documentary film festival that displays and promotes the best new documentaries from around the world. For the past fifteen years, the founders of BSFI have been breaking the traditional mold, producing award-winning independent films on extremely low budgets, teaching aspiring filmmakers the tools of production and distribution, and promoting the documentary art form by bringing some of the best documentary filmmakers in the world to beautiful Missoula, Montana to screen their work and meet the local audience in person.
Programs
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Big Sky Film Series
High Plains Films
© 2007. Big Sky Film Institute.