Commerce Film Grant Recipient Takes Best Short Film in Banff Festival
The short film “Borrowed from the Earth,” a Montana Department of Commerce Big Sky Film Grant recipient, was recognized as Best Short Film at the 2025 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in Banff, Alberta last November. The film was also selected for the Santa Fe International Film Festival.
Montana filmmakers Chad Dawson and Zach Johaneson were awarded a Big Sky Film Grant for this project in 2022. This competitive grant builds and supports partnerships with filmmakers and production companies to create film industry jobs throughout the state. In addition to grant funding, the program elevates and supports Montana filmmakers, crews and businesses that provide products, services and locations to the film industry.
Commerce Film Office Commissioner Allison Witmer said, “The Big Sky Film Grant opens the door for filmmakers to work in Montana and provides opportunities to tell a wide variety of stories set across the state.”
The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, held annually in Banff, ran from Nov. 1-9, 2025, and featured 87 films from Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Last year was the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Voiced by Blackfeet elder Marvin Weatherwax Sr., directed by Johaneson and produced by Dawson, “Borrowed from the Earth” explores the meaning of Blackfeet words and of language itself. Rooted in the oral tradition through which tribal histories have survived, the 15-minute film showcases the deep connection between the Blackfeet Tribe and their horses through the lens of an Indian Relay Race. Filmed in Northwest Montana, the short film features the Browning and Glacier National Park areas.
“Borrowed from the Earth” stands as a visually stunning example of a successful project by filmmakers working in rural areas with locals, and of a culturally relevant story to Montanans. Projects like these create jobs, enhance the tourism experience through audience education and showcase native language and culture.
This year’s Big Sky Film Grant cycle closed on Feb. 15, and winners will be announced in May. Productions that film at least half of their principal photography days in Montana were eligible to apply for the grant. Past recipients include 2024 Short Film grantee “Daughter of the Plains,” which was filmed around Malta. It won awards at the 2025 Utah International Film Festival and was screened at Flathead Lake International Cinemafest in Polson in February.
The 2022 Documentary grantee “Bring Them Home,” filmed near Browning, also received a Big Sky Film Grant. Narrated by Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone, this documentary tells the story of re-introduction of bison to the Blackfeet territory in Montana and is streaming on PBS, Apple and Prime with appearances at over 39 festivals and numerous awards for Best Documentary and Audience Choice.
For more information on the Big Sky Film Grant, go to commerce.mt.gov.
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