2024
award
winners

MINT Spirit award

come out, wherever you are

Directed by Caitlin Presberg

Vernon Parrish, a retired mayor of a large suburb just outside of Chicago, had moved to the small town of Livingston, Montana, for peace and solitude and to get out of the public eye. After six years, Verne’s past returns to haunt him, driving him into a self-imposed exile at his cabin in the woods, hoping to ride out the media storm.

best narrative feature

BATTERSEA

Directed by T.J. Sandella

Estranged siblings reconvene at their childhood home, where they spend a precarious weekend drinking and talking–uncovering the narratives and secrets that have shaped their lives.

best Documenatary feature

BRING THEM HOME

Directed by Ivan MacDonald, Ivy MacDonald, Daniel Glick

Bring Them Home tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago, an act that would restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to their community.

best narrative Short Film

sQUALL

Directed by Emmi Shockley

A newly recovering addict’s daylong journey to reconnect with his younger brother leads them both into an unexpected storm.

Best international short Film

the understudy

Directed by Peter Pasyk

An understudy actor receives the call that he must go on last-minute to replace the star of a major stage production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, all while caring for his young granddaughter.

Best documentary Short Film

The Artist of Western Sahara

Directed by Daniel Dart

This is a story about an artist who was born into a country at war and has spent his entire life in a refugee camp in the Sahara desert. Even though he lives in the middle of nowhere, in a situation seemingly without hope, he doesn’t see it that way.

Best Indigenous Short Film

WAYA, saving our red grandfather

Directed by Jennifer Loren

The Red Wolf is not only the most endangered wolf in the world, it’s quite possibly the most misunderstood. In this 30-minute documentary, we explore the Red Wolf’s cultural significance to the Cherokee people and why conservationists hope indigenous knowledge will help save it from extinction.

Best Made-In-MT Film

blood & water

Directed by Luke Langsdale

Kitty, a teenage girl struggling with addiction, and Trav, her combat veteran father, take a horse trek into the Montana wilderness in order to repair the damage war has done to their relationship, only to be thrown headfirst back into conflict when they unwittingly stumble across a backwoods meth lab.

special jury award: narrative

out on a limb

Directed by Filip Kojic

In the Old West, a soul-searching son returns home to rescue his ill-fated mother.

special jury award: Documentary

love of the land

Directed by Travis Van Alstyne

A short animated film based on the true and tragic story of Vermont farmer Romaine Tenney. His farm was in the construction path of Interstate 91 in the 1960s and the State of Vermont seized his land through eminent domain. 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of his passing.