Join James Redford and Jeff Bridges for BZN’s inaugural International Film Festival, June 7th–10th in Bozeman. Enjoy 63 fabulous films and provocative Festival Conversations with 33 attending filmmakers. Participate in a pitching seminar with nationally recognized indie filmmaking platform Seed & Spark. Passholder discounts are offered at many hotels, restaurants and shops.
Films include documentary features and narratives, shorts, animations and experimental work. On the docket is a film from Venezuela, Nos Llaman 
Guerreras. In a country torn apart by political and economic upheaval, a team of young women finds refuge in a sport that rises above their personal poverty and gendered social status. Moksha follows three Nepali women who have dedicated their lives to spreading the joy that mountain biking can bring to women across the Himalayas. The short documentary 7 Emirates in 24 Hours documents five cyclists from five different countries, including one female, who took upon the challenge of cycling all over the 7 Emirates of UAE in less than 24 hours.
Kim Swims tells the inspiring story of an accomplished open water swimmer’s attempt to become the first woman to swim 30 miles through a stretch of cold, rough and shark-inhabited waters off the San Francisco coast. As tradition and modernity collide high on the Tibetan plateau, the nomads of Ritoma have a new passion – basketball. Leaving their old way of life behind, they battle to keep their culture alive while embracing the modern world. Montana Vets, Montana Waters took 24 Veterans on an all-inclusive fly fishing trip on Montana’s Big Hole River with The Complete Fly Fisher lodge; they created this film to help raise awareness for local Veterans.
Ken Burns’ Not for Ourselves Alone (the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony) will screen at the Procrastinator Theater on the Montana State University campus Friday, June 8th. No pass is required for this Emmy Award-winning documentary, nor for The Long Shadow, in which filmmaker Frances Causey investigates the roots of racism.
Be sure to check out the Free Family Night (Saturday, June 9th). Young children will enjoy Kidflix, a curated film block from the New York City International Children’s Film Festival. Afterwards, youth and adults are invited to a preview of Youth V Gov. and to participate in a dynamic post-film discussion with filmmaker and activist (and Bozemanite) Christi Cooper.
Festival Conversations will examine a variety of subjects tied to the films presented. Topics include discussions of sexuality and gender identity, familial relationships, and worldwide and local environmental efforts. The Conversations will also spotlight female entrepreneurs in Bozeman, and will invite filmmakers and festival-goers to participate in a pitching seminar sponsored by nationally recognized independent filmmaking platform Seed & Spark.
Films will screen at multiple MSU venues, in the Museum of the Rockies’ Hager Auditorium, and downtown at the newly renovated Rialto Bozeman, the Emerson Center’s Crawford Theater, the Ellen Theatre and the Willson Auditorium.
Passes are now on sale at www.bozemanfilmcelebration.com. Three tiers – Bridger Peak, Hyalite Peak, and Gallatin Peak – offer passholders a variety of events throughout the Festival and guarantee entry to all screenings, depending upon space. Bozeman residents can purchase passes at a discount at Old Main Gallery. Passes and tickets for single screenings ($12) will be available for pick-up the week of the Festival at ERA Landmark, (8 East Main Street). Please visit the website to see the full lineup of films and associated Festival Conversations.
