GREAT FALLS — Bring Them Home, winner of the Big Sky Award at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, played at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center Wednesday night.
WATCH:
The film tells the story of a small group of Blackfeet people trying to restore the first wild herd of bison since their near-extinction more than 50 years ago.
“We met incredibly resilient people, people that didn't give up. The tribe has been working to bring wild bison back in some form for probably the last 60 years,” said Co-Director of the film and Blackfeet, Ivan Macdonald. “There's this really great resilience within this story.”
Aiding Ivan in co-direction was sibling Ivy MacDonald and Daniel Glick. Glick is also credited as the film’s writer.
The piece is narrated by Academy Award nominee and Blackfeet actor Lily Gladstone.
“She's so amazing and talented and so disciplined in her craft. And I think to be able to work with her in the way that we did, it's such an incredible honor,” says Ivy MacDonald.
The film took eight years to produce.
Watch the trailer:
Several partners helped prop the film’s showing including the Interpretive Center. This included the Great Falls Public Library, the event’s main partner, along with Wild Montana and others.
“It's not just a retelling of me talking about something going on. It's from the people who are making it happen,” says Sarah Cawley, library spokeswoman.
“In this state, it can be very contentious between cattle ranchers and bison. The cattle industry in Montana is largely opposed to wild bison,” says Glick. “It's the same dynamic on the reservation, the fourth generation Blackfeet cattle ranchers who have struggled with trying to bring bison back.”
The film also won the 2024 Best Musical Score at the Nevada City Film Festival and was the official selection at the Seattle International Film Festival and the International Wildlife Film Festival.
For more information, click here to visit the website.
