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Logline

Big Sky Country is an exploration of generational storytelling told through the music and legacy of Montana.

Synopsis

Through western music, Montana’s musicians have always found a way to tell the stories of the generations who have come before them. In this documentary we will explore the way that this generational storytelling honors both the western way of life it draws from, and faces a changing social and artistic landscape in Montana.

The music is the story.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Christopher Murphy – Director
Christopher Murphy is an award-winning Filipino-American filmmaker with an established history as a director, producer and cinematographer in the brand content and entertainment industry. Murphy grew up in Great Falls, Montana, where he spent his time roaming the streets and concrete surfaces on a skateboard while incessantly following his friends around with a Hi8 DV camera. His humble beginnings of documenting familial characters and editing the footage on a homemade linear VHS tape-to-tape system evolved into a full-blown obsession that led him to a successful career in filmmaking. Murphy has directed and produced brand content for Red Bull, Leica Camera, Vans, Yeti Coolers, Arc’teryx and Land Rover. His commercial work paved a solid foundation for his thoughtful, creative process and aptitude for powerful storytelling. He went on to work as a cinematographer on Spike Jonze’s skate film Pretty Sweet, feature documentary Waiting for Lightning, Nat Geo Wild’s America the Wild, and he recently finished shooting on a BBC series. Chris has created intro sequences for the Red Bull films Art of Flight and The Fourth Phase, and most recently directed and produced the award-winning snowboard film Depth Perception.

Murphy’s curiosity and empathetic nature, coupled with his genuine interest in people, are evident in the way he connects with characters through his camera. His innate ability to capture moments of truth and observing narratives that unfold through his lens is what drives him to continue documenting deserving and vulnerable human stories.

Bailey Salwey – Producer/Co-Director of Photography
Bailey Salwey is a Cinematographer and Photographer from Montana. She received a dual major in Film and Photography at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. Her passion for creating images began from painting, and playing scientist in the darkroom. In recent years she graduated from the American Film Institute with a masters degree in Cinematography and was an awardee of the 2021 AFI/ Audi Scholarship. Bailey strives to push the boundaries of how she views filmmaking and continues her search for humanness within a moving and still image. bailey-salwey.com

Olivia Kimmel – Producer/Co-Director of Photography
Olivia is a cinematographer working in both New York and LA, and as far away from those cities as she can get. She got her start chasing adventure all over the world as a Local 600 Camera Assistant – swimming 16mm mags to set on a volcanic island in the Caribbean, creating a VR world blending past and present on the beaches of Normandy, building underwater camera rigs in wetsuits in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and so many other adventures. After a stint working as a chemical-mixer in the darkrooms at the International Center of Photography, she worked stateside on many productions including Get Out, Russian Doll, After Yang, and Search Party. She then transitioned from camera assistant to cinematographer, bringing with her a strong technical and emotional skillset, a nuanced aesthetic style, and an ever-important twinkle in her eye. She graduated from the AFI Cinematography Program in 2022. Her narrative work has been screened at BUFF Malmö, AFI Fest, Austin Film Festival, Oldenburg Film Festival and more. Her commercial and music video work has been featured in Nylon, The Fader, LADYGUNN, and Live Nation’s Ones To Watch. When not making movies, Olivia is a mountain climber, pie contest winner, terrible banjo player, one-time touring biker, and over-enthusiastic gardener. She loves to sit at other peoples’ backyard picnic tables and chat with a glass of whiskey (and sometimes with people).
oliviakimmel.com

Jeri Rafter – Producer
I am a film and commercial producer living and breathing in beautiful Montana. I am dedicated to creating a sustainable film ecosystem in this great state. I am a Producer and also offer Line Producing, UPM, and 1st AD services.

My latest producing film credits include Butcher’s Crossing starring Nick Cage, Fred Hechinger, Jeremy Bobb, Rachel Keller, and Xander Berkley.

Other notable works include Tokyo Cowboy, Sooyii a film completely in Pikuni the Native language of the Blackfeet tribe, Ted K the seminal biopic of Ted Kazinsky and the documentary Daughter of a Lost Bird about a Lummi adoptee finding her birth family. Commercial clients have included Ford, GEICO, Hyundai, Hey Dude Shoes, Skoal, Johnny Walker, The Guild, and Carhartt amongst many others.

Chloe Nostrant – Producer
Chloe Nostrant is a photographer, writer, and artist from Livingston, Montana. She has built a life dedicated to exploring and collecting stories from the modern American West. Her work spans multiple genres and mediums, from poetry and prose to mixed media and photography. Her interest in exploring the dynamics between the people and landscapes of the American West came about after hearing stories of her great-grandfather who hunted the same mountains she was backcountry skiing. She grew up as and is still an avid upland hunter and angler and the early exposures and experiences instilled in her a love for the rural areas of Montana. When she isn’t working as a photographer or fly fishing guide, she is running around the prairie with her two bird dogs, riding horses, fishing for tarpon, or planning out her next Harley ride. Chloenostrant.com

Wyatt Maw – Producer
Wyatt Maw is an award winning filmmaker and photographer based in Livingston, Montana. A directing graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory, his thesis film played in festivals across the globe and was a semi-finalist for the Student Academy Awards.

Currently, he’s wrapping up post production on a feature length documentary shot on S16mm film, Ashland, which is about a special community in SE Montana. Also an accomplished musician, he has won the national fiddling championship in Weiser, Idaho and recorded with renowned old-time and bluegrass artists. wyattmaw.com

Mutt Films – Executive Producer
Mutt Film’s well-reviewed four-part documentary series Always Jane culminated in a production, editorial and distribution partnership with Amazon Prime.

Mutt Film was originally conceived by EP Beth George before the launch of George Brand–the production company she founded after leaving Boxer Films. It took a few years, and the inclusion of one Jonathan Hyde before the vision became reality. When Shannon Lords-Houghton finally joined Mutt, the trifecta was complete. Shannon’s experience in commercial production is known the world over, and her contribution as a partner took things to the next level. We’ve always felt mutts are stronger, smarter, and more loyal than purebreds. Mutt Film is sort of like that but a bit more badass. A collective of directors, producers, and designers who fiercely pride themselves on their individual perspectives. Each with a different narrative tied to a personal trajectory outside of the norm. The shared vision is nothing short of world domination but the process is being explored each day.

Mutt Film EP Shannon Lords-Houghton was born and raised in Montana and retains deep connections throughout the state. MUTTFILM.COM

Marshall Granger – Editor
Marshall Granger is a Los Angeles-based film editor, born and raised in Montana. He co-produced and edited the feature film We Burn Like This, which premiered at Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Deauville American Film Festival. His second edited feature Aporia was released to theaters across the US and is now streaming on Hulu. His documentary short, Your Opinion, Please, which he directed, produced & edited, debuted in 2025 at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

His editing work extends into the music video and branded spaces, as well as work for arts organizations like Film Independent and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He also served as an Assistant Editor on The Synanon Fix, a four-part documentary directed by Rory Kennedy for HBO. He is an Editing alum of the AFI Conservatory, and a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, Local 700. marshallgranger.net

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.