Great Falls is preparing to host a film festival with a rather unusual theme, inviting filmmakers from all around the world to celebrate cinema, creativity, and the unexplained.
“The Great Beyond Film Festival is the first-ever Great Falls film festival,” said Liz Lauver, event planner with Great Falls, Montana, Tourism. “We're international, which is really super cool. Films from all over the world and filmmakers from all over the world are coming out.”
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
The event, held at the Mansfield Theatre from February 5 to 7, marks a new chapter in Great Falls' cultural landscape.
Unlike regular film festivals, The Great Beyond has a singular focus: the weird, inexplicable, and otherworldly.
“When I got hired to do events for Great Falls, Montana Tourism, one of the big things was bringing a film festival—doing something different,” Lauver said. “And I thought, well, Great Falls has a tie. We were actually, in the ’50s, the first place to have a UFO caught on film."
That is a reference to the Nick Mariana video, which inspired the name of the Great Falls Voyagers team.
From cryptids and extraterrestrials to paranormal activity and intrigue, filmmakers were encouraged to embrace the unknown.
Submissions opened in December, and at least 13 films were chosen for the inaugural exhibition.
According to the organizers, the festival is about learning how to make films as well as watching them.
"Educational workshops with people who are working for Netflix, CBS, and HBO," according to Lauver. "Big-name directors and scriptwriters are coming out to teach."
In addition to screenings, participants can expect:
- Filmmaking and Screenwriting Workshops
- Q&A sessions for filmmakers
- Vendor marketplaces
- Film equipment showcases
The idea is to provide an immersive experience for both budding filmmakers and casual moviegoers.
Tourism officials hope the festival will help establish Great Falls as a destination for artistic and cultural activities.
"Being able to take something kind of different, like the film festival, with such an odd theme, and bring that here—I think it gives Great Falls an opportunity to shine," she added. "Not just as a destination, but for community members too."
For more information, click here to visit the website.
Great Falls Voyagers mark the anniversary of 'UFO sighting' namesake event:
