Rex to show Montana-made film

A small-town story is finding its way to the big screen in Thompson Falls.

The Rex Theater will show Somewhere in Montana on January 10, 11 and 13. After the Saturday, Jan. 11 showing, some of the local actors and Brandon Smith, the film’s writer and director, will be available for a Q&A session.

Eden Bryant is one of the film’s producers. She said the film is booked in about 40 theaters in the United States, but that it was important to have it shown in Montana. The movie was filmed in Polson and Ronan.

“I think Montanans will appreciate it,” Bryant told The Ledger. “It’s a better way of viewing Montana. It’s not like ‘Yellowstone.’” She added that people will probably see some familiar faces as well. “We had a lot of locals who came and helped as extras.”

Somewhere in Montana focuses on rancher John Alexander, played by Graham McTavish. Facing financial struggles, McTavish agrees to have a movie filmed on his ranch. Tensions build between Alexander and the Hollywood film crew. The film explores relationships and how people with different values can find a way to work together and compromise .

Bryant said Somewhere in Montana is multi-faceted. “You have one guy that has his belief system and another that has his belief system and there is a conflict, but it goes beyond that. It touches on relationships and really getting to know people and building respect instead of being forced into a relationship and work with someone that hasn’t earned it,” she explained.

There is a lot of Montana in the film, Bryant explained. “There are jokes that people here will get and laugh at.” She commended the actors for picking up on little nuances about her home state. They had a crew of about 30 people working on the film. “It’s fairly small but it worked and it allowed everyone to be creative and play to their strengths.”

Bryant was born in Helena and has lived in Polson most of her life, and Smith moved to Polson in the early 2000s, “Because Montana is a character in the movie, it needed to be filmed in Montana,” Bryant expressed. “As filmmakers, it’s really nice to be able to work where you live.” She added that the film was a “big community effort” as there were many people helping with locations and other factors. “It just made it a real community film.” She said she is most proud of finishing the film. “Having a movie you start from concept to distribution is not an easy feat. And we have a good movie. There’s been a lot of effort put into it.”

Bryant and Smith operate Nova Vento Entertainment, which Bryant said they started to not only help promote their own work, but to help other independent filmmakers. “All filmmakers deserve the opportunity to live and work where they want.” She said they have been working with small, independent bookers and hope to expand.

Bryant said there isn’t really a comparison between Somewhere in Montana and other projects for the production company. When Smith and Bryant began working together, Smith shared the storyline as an idea, and “every year after that it became bigger and bigger,” Bryant said, adding that when lead actor McTavish joined the film, it elevated it even more. McTavish has been in series including Outlander, The Witcher and Preacher.

Filming was delayed due to COVID and then working with McTavish’s schedule, so it was shot in 2022. “We’ve spent a lot of time working on this film from words getting on the page to getting it into theaters. The people involved have become a family. From beginning to end, it’s like raising a baby,” Bryant said. “It’s a beautiful film and it deserves to be seen on the big screen.”