$1.5 Million In Big Sky Film Grant Funding Awarded To 29 Filmed-In-Montana Productions
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that 29 film creations will share more than $1.5 million in grant funding to film on-location productions across the state. The grant funding is awarded through Commerce’s Big Sky Film Grant Program.
“These 29 film projects are expected to spend an estimated $11.3 million in Montana and will bring in productions that will help boost the economies of many rural Montana communities including Alberton, Cooke City, Eureka, Ovando, Rocky Boy, Sula and Twin Bridges,” said Montana Department of Commerce Acting Director Mandy Rambo.
A total of 101 applicants requested more than $16 million in grant dollars this year, with $1.5 million available through the competitive BSFG for fiscal year 2024. The grants are awarded to eligible production projects in three different categories: Feature Film and TV, Feature Film and TV Resident Only, Short-Form Content and Short-Form Content Resident Only.
The following projects have been approved to receive BSFG funding:
Feature Film and Television Grants
El Jinete Films, LLC will receive $100,000 for the production of “New Dawn Rising.”
Inside Voices, LLC will receive $100,000 for the production of “Gone by Morning.”
It’s Happening Now, LLC will receive $100,000 for the production of “Floating.”
Level 1 Productions, Inc. will receive $75,000 for the production of “Dead Air.”
Story House Montana, LLC will receive $100,000 for the production of “St. George.”
The Reformer, LLC will receive $150,000 for the production of “Voice Out.”
Feature Film and Television Resident Only Grants
99 Productions, LLC will receive $100,000 for the production of “Counting to a Thousand.”
Rob G. Green Photography, LLC will receive $100,000 for the production of “Traverse.”
Saltland Productions, LLC will receive $100,000 for the production of “Warrior Cowboys.”
Short-Form Content Grants
Montana SOL, LLC will receive $15,000 for the production of “The Age of Wellness.”
Play Practice Productions, LLC will receive $25,000 for the production of “Dr. Randall & Sons' Traveling Medicine Show.”
Rare Antiquities will receive $35,000 for the production of “The Blistering, Blundering West.”
Velocity Films, LLC will receive $40,000 for the production of “Last Stand at Butte City.”
Venture Digital Media, LLC will receive $50,000 for the production of “Mobtana.”
Short-Form Content Resident Only Grants
4:08 Productions, LLC will receive $25,000 for the production of “The Montana Sessions.”
Another Pictures, LLC will receive $25,000 for the production of “Winkup.”
Audrey Hall Photography, LLC will receive $25,000 for the production of “Dear Western Sky.”
Fault Line Inc. will receive $25,000 for the production of “The Heist.”
Friendly Fishes Films, LLC will receive $25,000 for the production of “The Merlin.”
Hollow Duck Productions, LLC will receive $10,000 for the production of “Tarkio.”
JMac Productions, LLC will receive $40,000 for the production of “Montana’s Best.”
KR Creative Strategies will receive $25,000 for the production of “The Story of Us, the Women Who Shaped Montana.”
Leap of Faith Enterprise, LLC will receive $40,000 for the production of “Sharktana.”
Mathew Halvorson will receive $20,000 for the production of “The Babcock.”
Paige Williams Co., LLC will receive $25,000 for the production of “Real Women of White Sulphur Springs.”
Panel and Script, LLC will receive $15,000 for the production of “The Last Judgement.”
Rise Up Montana will receive $40,000 for the production of “Journey to the Sun.”
Same Land Film, LLC will receive $40,000 for the production of “Maltá u Lusí.”
Sojourn Productions, LLC will receive $30,000 for the production of “Montana Carol.”
In 2023, Polar Productions received $40,00 of BSFG funding for the production of “Wild Foods: Montana.” Kevin Chap, show host, writer and producer said, “Our experience creating ‘Wild Foods: Montana’ has been nothing short of transformative. As I crossed the Continental Divide into the Centennial Valley, surrounded by golden aspens and the sunlit peaks of Mount Nemesis, I felt a deep sense of connection, like returning home. This sentiment echoed throughout our production. We look forward to building an ongoing partnership with the Montana Department of Commerce to create additional episodes that explore Montana’s untold stories. We aim to bring lasting benefits to the state and foster meaningful engagement for years to come.”
Since the BSFG program started in 2013, nearly 380 film projects have received over $13 million of grant funding to assist with those productions.
In 2023, Senate Bill 540 of the 68th Montana Legislature revised the laws related to state-funded tourism promotion to require a specific allocation of lodging facility use tax for Montana-based film grants. The Montana Department of Commerce Film Office is funded by an allocation of the Lodging Facility Use Tax, commonly known as the “Bed Tax.”
For more information about the Big Sky Film Grant, visit commerce.mt.gov.
Comments