Good things come in pairs: last year, there were two rodent documentaries—one on beavers and another on nutria; this year there are two punk documentaries. From Susan Dynner’s 2007 Punk’s Not Dead to this year’s Punk by Jesse James Miller and dozens of films in between, the genre continually captures the attentions of filmmakers and audiences alike. MINT will also present Bozeman resident Jordan Albertsen’s award-winning doc Boom! A Film About The Sonics. Inspired by his dad, Albertsen began a one-man journey in search of the heart, soul and substance of the band back in 2011—the resulting film is personal and comprehensive, and mines the band’s rise, disappearance (or dissipation), rediscovery in Europe and resurgence and appreciation back in the States. Homegrown Seattle heroes and breakthrough artists alike including Pearl Jam, The Sex Pistols, Heart, Mudhoney and others pay homage to the Sonics’ music and influence.
Why Montana and why punk? Albertsen said, “Honestly, living here, it means a lot to me. If my wife and I hadn’t moved to Montana, I really don’t think I would have been able to finish the film. I had been struggling in LA for eight years to put this thing together, and when we decided to move I thought I was basically giving up on the film and my career. But once I started working at Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman and had a run-in with (Pearl Jam’s) Mike McCready, things started coming together. I never thought moving away from LA would be the thing that would make the film possible. And I did all of the edits here in Montana, so screening at MINT means a lot to me. I’m very excited.”
Plan to find Albertsen front and center at The Pugs show and at So Good I Can’t Take It. He added, “Punk music will always remain strong. It may get labeled something different from time to time, but punk is all about attitude. And when you’re a young kid, that music just speaks to you. I discovered punk music at a very young age, I’m 37 now, and I still listen to those records and go to those shows.”
Boom! will have its Montana premiere on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. with Albertsen available for a Q & A following the screening.
MINT opens with a screening of an episode of the Smithsonian Channel documentary Epic Yellowstone at the Festival’s main location, the Babcock Theater, on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. Directed by Thomas Winston, produced by Grizzly Creek Films, and narrated by Bill Pullman, the film follows the Yellowstone River, virtually untouched, through its 700-mile run from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains and all the life that surrounds it.
The Festival’s main slate of nearly 75 films, submitted from 11 countries, along with panels, parties and gathering will close with the North American premiere of Richard Gray’s period epic Robert the Bruce.
The comparisons to Braveheart are going to be inevitable. “Braveheart is one of my favorite films,” said Gray. “I saw it many times at the cinema when I was just 15, and it had a huge influence on me. A great friend and actress Anna Hutchison, who plays a lead role in Robert The Bruce, acted in another film with Angus in the UK. They become friends and Angus told her of this script he’d been working on with co-writer Eric Belgau. Anna got me the script, I loved it and away we went! Although I love the film of course, Robert the Bruce is not connected to Braveheart. It’s a very different story about The King of Scots at his lowest point, being saved by a widow and orphan children who give him back his will to live and fight. And that fight leads him to win back Scotland’s independence. It is a very special and moving story.”
Of course, Montana may not first come to mind when the mind conjures Scotland. To Gray, it made sense. “I adore Montana,” he said. “We were lucky enough to have great support from locals, including our investors and executive producers. As it turns out, Montana looks very, very much like Scotland in many areas, so once we knew it could light right (through the help of actor and William Wallace descendant Seoras Wallace), we were excited to shoot here again. The Montana Film Office has always been a tremendous support and we were very grateful for their assistance. We also filmed throughout Scotland, of course, and that was wonderful too—from Stirling, to Glencoe to The Isle Of Skye — absolutely stunning.” A grueling shoot took the production to Montana for winter and Scotland in March during their biggest storms in recent history (The Beast from the East).
Angus Macfadyen reprises his role as the iconic title character and the film co-stars Jared Harris, Patrick Fugit, Zach McGowan and Melora Walters on Sunday, Sept. 22, at 3 p.m. Gray is bringing Angus, Melora Walters (Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Big Love); Talitha Bateman (Annabelle – Creation, Geostorm, Love Simon); Gabriel Bateman (Childs Play, Benji); and Diarmaid Murtagh (Vikings, The Monuments Men) with him to Billings for a Q&A after the film.
MINT’s sophomore edition will see six narrative and five documentary features competing for at least $5,000 in cash and in-kind prizes, including the MINT Spirit Award, as well as six juried awards: Best Female Director; Best Narrative Feature; Best Narrative Short Film; Best Documentary Feature Film; Best Documentary Short Film; and the Made-In-Montana award. Of the eleven competition features, three are world premieres, while one is a North American bow and six are Montana premieres.
“The Made in Montana and Indigenous Peoples sections speak to the core of our identity as a Montana arts organization,” said MINT Executive Director Brian Murnion. “We cannot consider ourselves a part of this community without showcasing the issues and artists that affect so many of our fellow Rocky Mountains and Plains residents and we look forward to continuing these efforts in the years to come.”
Want to go? Visit the official MINT website for festival information, passes and lodging.
Great article! As a Montana resident, I love to see MINT Garner this attention! What a beautifully written piece!