Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A F A L L | 2 0 1 4 2 2 Gal Femm• of Filmmaking "Lady, get a grip!" For Montana's female filmmakers that term isn't an insult. It's a job; it's film- making jargon for the crew member who maintains set production equipment. These women have already taken a firm hold in their chosen careers. Graduates of top film schools, they have attained the dream of developing their craft in the Last Best Place. vera Brunner-sung is a first-generation American who came to Mis- soula from San Diego knowing little about Montana. In her contemporary film Bella Vista, we meet Doris, who moves to Missoula after teaching abroad. While empathizing with her international students in their cultural adjustment, Doris studies the history of displaced people who moved for political, social, or eco- nomic reasons. Vera relates. "Most of us can connect with the feeling of being an outsider at some point in our lives, being in a new environment." What's her biggest challenge in Montana filmmaking? "We have a small pool of professional equipment and crew," says Vera. "But that makes us resourceful!" Bedecked in her good-luck baseball cap, Bozeman's kaTie gilBerTson is a cat-loving Kentuckian who takes time out from being a wife and mom, hiking, and dancing, to edit films. Indian Relay, a co-production between Montana PBS and DyeWorks, follows tribal nation teams through a season of grueling compe- tition of high speed horsemanship, showing the strength and determination of the young relay racers. Katie combined her love of outdoors with her need to shape stories. In be- coming a Montana documentary filmmaker, Katie saw those two loves meet in her favorite place. "No other place has ever felt like 'home' the way Montana does," says the Emmy award-winning editor. "It's where I'm meant to be." Documentary film maker paige Williams, Missoula, grew up in Mississippi loving art and Jesus. An Olympic and power weightlifter, Paige's screenplay about a gay Mis- sissippi man returning home for his father's funeral and dealing with the inconsistencies of faith, fear, and family in the South became Mississippi Queen. By the end of its By l auri olsen Women aT Work kaTie gilBerTson paige Williams

• Cover