Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2009

Native Americans in Northern California fight for their fish and for the survival of their culture -- against an energy corporation. The tribes along the Klamath River are about to trigger the largest dam removal project in history.

What is the relationship between art and nature? Using time-lapse photography the film explores how external forces such as time, gravity and molecular structure bend, tear and wrinkle paper artist Helen Hiebert’s handmade paper. A meditation upon the cyclical relationship between human and nature, ‘Water Paper Time’ reveals the fascinating ways in which nature and art go on changing even (and perhaps especially) when we are not looking.

A captivating and intimate look at three senior citizens in America as they struggle with the losses that come with growing old and the uplifting ways they rediscover their reasons for living. By greeting nearly one million troops at a tiny airport in Maine, they find the strength to overcome their personal battles and demonstrate the meaning of community at a time when most Americans have lost faith in their country.

The film follows a set of individuals ranging from web journalists, authors, artists, filmmakers and musicians, as they enhance and expand the Harry Potter story, often in unexpected ways. WE ARE WIZARDS is a portrayal of creative fans with a common goal: to make their voices heard.

A young boy living in rural Texas constructs an adventure story incorporating family, friends, and the filmmaker.

WHATEVER IT TAKES chronicles the first year of a radically innovative high school in New York City's notorious South Bronx. This deeply emotional, verité-style documentary examines the lives of two characters: Edward Tom, the school's brash rookie principal, and Sharifea Baskerville, a spunky ninth-grade girl with big dreams but even bigger obstacles.

In a half-changed world, women often feel they need to choose. Who Does She Think She Is?, a documentary by Academy Award-winning producer Pamela Tanner Boll, features five bold women who navigate some of the most problematic intersections of our time: parenting and creativity, partnering and independence, economics and art.

Sean Penn narrates " Witch Hunt," a gripping feature length documentary chronicling the unraveling of a small town's justice system. The people in this film were all working class moms and dads who were wrongly convicted of child molestation in Bakersfield, California in the 1980's. They served lengthy prison time and were ultimately exonerated. All of the convicted were recklessly pursued by the same District Attorney who remains in office today.

A vibrant, soulful and in-depth look at one of the world's most popular and inspiring musicians, Senegalese hero Youssou Ndour. Following the Grammy-winning icon as he realeases his most ambitious album, Egypt, in which he sings about Islam for the first time. Upon release in Senegal, the album was considered blasphemous. This brings Ndour face to face with contraditions of his own religion.