Montana Film Festival

For eleven years, the Montana Film Festival has showcased independent films from around the world, engaging our community with remarkable shared cinematic experiences, embracing and expanding the possibilities of contemporary cinema, and welcoming our guests to Big Screen Country.

This year our in-person festival will be running October 22 - 25 with virtual screenings from October 26 - November 1.

MTFF highlights emergent independent talents from major international festivals, with special attention paid to Montana's flourishing film industry. It regularly screens features several months before wide release, making it the premiere annual event for Montana's cinephiles.

The Roxy Theater, Missoula's community cinema, is the venue for MTFF. Presenting three festivals each year, the warm and welcoming Roxy staff love hosting visiting filmmakers. Every October, MTFF welcomes writers, directors, actors, and industry professionals to experience Montana hospitality over the four-day festival. Parties and special events allow creators to meet their audiences, and provide valuable space for networking. MTFF provides attending filmmakers development opportunities through our presenting partner, the Montana Film Office.

MTFF has welcomed a number of special guests to Missoula over the years: Lily Gladstone, Charles Burnett, Bill Pullman, Sophia Takal, Anna Camp, Toby Poser, J.D. Shields, Maya Korn, Frances Chewning, Mya Taylor, Sarah Adina Smith, Emily Hubley, Benjamin Wiessner, Wendy McColm, Bonnie Discepolo, Kenneth Turan (LA Times critic), Neal Block (Magnolia Pictures Head of Distribution & Marketing), Andrew and Alex Smith, Annick Smith, Amber Sealey, Krisha Fairchild, Ty Hickson, Annabelle Attanasio, Natalie Metzger, Richard Pearce, Lynzee Klingman, Jessica Oreck, and more.

Past MTFF selections and Montana premieres include Bitterroot, Shiva Baby, Cowboys, Thunder Road, Tangerine, Mandy, Birds Without Feathers, Certain Women, Wildlife, Montana Story, The Unknown Country, Bitterbrush, Quantum Cowboys, The Power of the Dog, The People's Joker, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Fancy Dance, and The Sweet East.

SUBMISSIONS:

MTFF accepts both feature films and shorts in the following categories: narrative, animation, and experimental. Please note that we do not regularly program documentaries.

We are looking for vibrant, unforgettable, one-of-a-kind films, films which are extraordinary after one viewing and even better after the second, films which expand the possibility of the art form.

MTFF gives priority to films with strong ties to Montana, whether that connection is through key cast and crew, shooting locations, or a thematic focus on life in the contemporary West. We are eager to showcase the vitality of filmmaking in our state, and to give Montana-made films the audience they deserve.