About Bozeman Film Festival

The story of the Bozeman Film Festival began in 1978 when a dedicated group of Montana State University English and film professors banded together to bring classic and world cinema to the big screen in Bozeman. Once or twice a month, Bozeman folks could head downtown to the Ellen Theater on a Sunday evening and see great films like Inherit the Wind (U.S. 1960), The Red Shows (U.K. 1948), or Ballad of a Soldier (USSR 1959). Eventually moving across Main St. to the Rialto in 1981, the BFF expanded their film schedule to four nights per week and added newer releases to their film repertoire.

This screening arrangement with the Rialto management, Carmike Theaters, continued for 25 years along with additional BFF screenings on the MSU campus in Linfield Hall and special film events at the Museum of the Rockies. Many Bozemanites recall fondly the days when a BFF film downtown at the Rialto was where you met friends to see great independent film and perhaps catch up in a darkened theater while the projectionist repaired a glitch in the ancient projector. The Rialto Theater, along with the Ellen Theater, was sold in 2005, prompting the BFF to temporarily move its films to the Campus Square Theaters. Declining attendance spurred the BFF Board to seek another solution which resulted in moving its screenings to the Emerson Center's Crawford Theater in the winter of 2006.

Scaling back film screenings to once or twice a month again, the BFF continues to show newly released independent, documentary and world cinema. In 2009, the Crawford Theater was the beneficiary of a new state of the art perforated movie screen thanks to a generous donation from the BFF. Upgrades to the sound and projector systems were also donated by the BFF and HATCHfest allowing them to screen 35mm film. Since the upgrades, the BFF has been able to bring newer films and a higher-level film experience to Bozeman viewers. Partnering with local groups and bringing guest speakers is another way the BFF works to keep our schedule lively. Special guests have provided lively post-film discussion: Valerie Hemingway - The Killers (U.S. 1948), Chrysti the Wordsmith - F*CK (U.S. 2005), Conrad Anker, Joe Josephson and Doug Chabot - NorthFace (Germany 2009) have all graced the BFF stage.