Bozeman’s very own film festival

To bring major film productions back to Montana, a group of locals involved in the film industry are creating a film festival in Bozeman.

"We need Montana to be recognized again, as it was once in the past, as the location spot in the United States," said Jennie Saks, a festival coordinator and owner of NASS Talent Management in Bozeman.

By KAYLEY MENDENHALL, Chronicle Staff Writer

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/05/14/news/03filmfestivalbzbigs.txt

"What the film festival will do is complement every other organization and group that has to do with the film industry. A film festival gets everybody excited," she said Thursday.

The first annual Montana Crazy Mountain Film Festival is scheduled for Sept. 10-12 at the Ellen and Rialto theaters on Main Street in Bozeman. Organizers held an event Thursday night at the Baxter Hotel to inform the community about the film festival and to generate support for the project.

"Basically tonight’s meeting is to educate the locals on what a film festival is and its economic impact on this area and the state," Saks said. "It’s to let everybody know what we’ve done so far, and what still needs to be done."

Organizers have adopted a name and logo, worked out a tentative schedule and started narrowing down which films will be shown.

They still need sponsors, donations and volunteers to bring the whole event together.

"Film is the one sure business that brings millions of dollars into the local economy and it doesn’t pollute the air," said Robert Kollar, a film producer who lives in Bozeman. "We’re trying to help the state."

Because of economic incentives, movie producers have been choosing to make films in Canada and other states over Montana in recent years. Kollar and Saks hope the film festival will revive Montana’s film economy.

For the first year, Kollar said, the festival will celebrate films that have been made in Montana in the past. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the making of "Rancho Deluxe," which was filmed in the Paradise Valley.

By next year, organizers hope to include new films from around the world and to call it an "international" film festival, much like Sundance.

"The ultimate goal of the festival is to create seed money for projects to be shot here," Saks said. "This film festival is basically our stepping stone, our lead-in to the 2005 festival. Our five-year goal is to be as recognized as Sundance, Toronto or Tribeca.

"Bozeman is a wonderful place to have a film festival," she said. "It’s every bit as nice as Sundance."

As for the name of the festival, Saks said the group agreed it had to have Montana in the title and they wanted it to sound fun. Someone had a vision, she said, and the Montana Crazy Mountain Film Festival was born.

Kayley Mendenhall is at [email protected]