IF/Then Shorts American West 2018

Five projects focusing on the American West were selected to enter the IF/Then pitch competition at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival on February 22, 2018.

The winner was selected by a professional jury consisting of:

Amy Hobby, Executive Director of Tribeca Film Institute
Billy Luther, Independent Filmmaker
Kathleen McLaughlin, Journalist for The Guardian
Gita Saedi-Kiely, University of Montana School of Journalism
Pam Torno, Series Producer for Indie Lens Story Cast

The jury chose AFTER THE FIRE, directed by Derek Knowles and Spencer Seibert, as the competition winner, and also chose NEGENIIGHTA to receive mentorship and free post production services from World of Wonder Productions in Los Angeles. These winners were selected from the following five projects:

AFTER THE FIRE
Directors: Derek Knowles and Spencer Seibert
Location: California
An intimate chronicle of Sonoma Valley and several of its residents both during and after the recent historic Northern California wildfires.

CARNIVAL
Director: April Wright
Producer: John Ansotegui
Locations: Montana and Wyoming
The formation of an unlikely family when 66 year old Riley Cooke and his wife Vickie start up a new carnival in the northwest.

FOREST OF BIG FINGERS
Director: Ryan Glenn, Producer: Sarah Haber
Location: Arizona
A documentary about the keystone species, friendly neighbor, and cultural icon; the Saguaro cactus. How did this one variety of cactus, native to only the Sonoran Desert, become the synonymous symbol of the American West? 

HOODIE
Director: Johnny Symons
Associate Producer: Daniel Chein
Location: California
A coming of age story about an African-American teenager as witnessed by his white gay filmmaker father. 

NEGENIIGHTA
Director: Alexandra Stergiou
Producer: Gina Pollack
Location: Alaska
On a remote island in the Bering Sea, a teenaged whaler must battle mankind and mother nature to feed his family and preserve his way of life. 

For more information, please visit our Big Sky page.