Montana’s film industry continues to grow with Tanya Coffey, a University of Montana graduate, bringing a local story to life. Her new film, “They Prey in the Night,” is inspired by her father’s thrilling hunting experience.

Coffey recalled her father’s adventure, saying, “I remember being about ten years old at the time, and he just went out hunting, didn’t come back until like the next afternoon. And he came back with a wild story of what had happened. And so I finally sat down and just got it all written out,” said Coffey.

The opening of Story House Partners production campus at the former Roseburg Forest Productions site in Missoula is seen as a sign of the industry’s promising future. Coffey expressed her hopes for the future of filmmaking in Montana, saying, “That’s kind of the goal of any filmmaker is to inspire the next generation. You know, we’re not going to be here forever. If we can do it on the campus or just in the eyes of our viewers, and that’s awesome as well,” said Coffey.