Big Sky Award Gets Bigger - Cash Prize For Winning Film About the West

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) is pleased to announce that its signature accolade, the prestigious Big Sky Award, will deliver a $1000 cash prize for its winner at the 2014 festival. Funding for the award comes courtesy of the Montana Film Office, whose generous sponsorship accounts for the cash award as well as stipends to help award competitors travel to Missoula in February. A panel of film industry jurors will chose the winner from a group of films in-competition and Montana Film Commissioner, Deny Staggs, will present the prize at an awards celebration during the festival.

Residents of and frequent visitors to the American West know full well that the region breeds its own brand of stories, and the Big Sky Award honors outstanding achievement in artistic documentation of a story based in the American West, as determined by a special competition jury.

We've always had a special regard for well-told stories of the West, and in many ways the Big Sky Award is the defining award of the festival, says BSDFF co-founder Doug Hawes-Davis. We're super excited to offer a financial reward for the best of those stories, and to have the strongest of those storytellers here in Missoula during the festival.

The Big Sky Award will be presented at the BSDFF Awards Reception, by Montana Film Commissioner Deny Staggs. Documentary Filmmaking is true life told through the lens of an artist, and it is an honor that the Montana Film Office can play a role in recognizing outstanding achievement at one of the Northwests most prestigious events, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, says Staggs.

Held in the mountain town of Missoula, Montana, the 10-day Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has grown into the largest documentary film festival in the American West, the largest cinema event in the state, and a must-see destination for filmmakers and documentary devotees the world over. The 11th annual event will be held February 14-23, 2014. Widely recognized as the premier venue for non-fiction film in the American West, the event accepts entries in all documentary forms and styles. Selected films, including world and U.S. premieres, classics, rare and experimental works, are screened in multiple venues including the historic Wilma Theater, Crystal Theater, and Top Hat Lounge in downtown Missoula, Montana. In addition to ten days of screenings, public and VIP events and receptions, the festival will feature the Big Sky Doc Shop, a four-day industry forum with panel discussions, workshops and pitch sessions. Big Sky draws an annual audience of more than 20,000, including thousands of enthusiastic documentary fans, filmmakers, distributors, broadcasters and industry professionals.

The final entry deadline for the 2014 festival is fast-approaching. Entries for the 11th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in all categories must be postmarked by October 20, 2013. The competitive event is open to non-fiction films and videos of all genres, subject matter, lengths and year of completion. Awards are given for Best Documentary Feature (over 50 minutes), Best Documentary Short (15-50 minutes), Best Mini-Doc (under 15 minutes) and best documentary of any length about the American West (the Big Sky Award).

DVD and Blu-Ray discs accepted for preview.

Download Entry Form - www.bigskyfilmfest.org/bsdff/submissions/

Enter via Withoutabox.com - www.withoutabox.com/login/3969

If you would like an entry form emailed to you in pdf format, send a request to

For more information visit http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org>

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