Our mission at Montana’s Northwest 360 Winter Fest is to curate and celebrate the art of storytelling through cinema providing a dynamic platform for diverse voices, emerging talents, and established filmmakers.
Unlike other film festivals, NW 360 Winter Fest will work with filmmakers who want to explore opportunities to showcase their product for commercial releases, who have made their films with budgets of $10 million and up and independent films with a budget of $10 million and under.
We will also serve as an alternative distribution channel for non-commercial films and offer a communal, shared, and unique experience for all audiences. We will provide a platform for all filmmakers regardless of budget.
There will be both Jury Awards (for films over $10M budget) and Audience Awards (for films of any budget). There will be cash prizes in multiple categories (TBA) for films in the "Under $10M" budget category.
Our jury will include:
Freida Lee Mock - Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Freida Lee Mock is a director, writer and producer of feature length and short form theatrical documentary films. Her 5 Academy Award nominations include the winner Maya Lin: A Strong Vision, a feature film about creativity and the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Her other Oscar nominees are Rose Kennedy, a Life to Remember; SING! about a world renowned children’s choir; Never Give UP about the conductor and holocaust survivor Dr. Herbert Zipper; and To Live or Let Die, a story about medical ethics in an ICU for new born babies.
Matt Dearborn - Matt has developed and sold original pilot ideas to every major network in Hollywood including: Netflix, Sony, Amazon, FOX, HBO, NBC and CBS. He has garnered 3 Emmy nominations and a BAFTA Award for Outstanding International Series for creating Even Stevens (Disney.) Other accolades include the NAACP Image Award and the prestigious Environment Media Award. Matt is directing The Game Plan (Netflix) beginning in March 2025.
Alison Foreman - Alison Foreman is a Features Writer at IndieWire covering and critiquing TV, film, and trends in Hollywood. Foreman describes herself as a journalist with a passion for blood, spectacle, and basic human decency. She's also the midnight movie maven behind IndieWire After Dark, offering fringe cinema selections for the streaming age every Friday night.
Ted Schilowitz – Entertainment Industry executive who brings insights on the cutting edge of innovation and disruption in a fun and disarming fashion. He brings a unique spin on technology and its relation to humanity and is a Variety Hall of Fame Member.