Films by Montana State graduates to be screened at Montana Film Festival

BOZEMAN — Two films directed by Montana State University graduates will be screened during the Montana Film Festival in Missoula, which takes place Oct. 12-15 at the Roxy Theater, 718 S. Higgins Ave.

Jake Ames, who graduated from MSU in 2022, wrote and directed “Haystacks,” a Western that features a vagabond whose idea of freedom is threatened after being caught trespassing by a landowner. “Haystacks” will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, and again at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15.

Kayla Arend wrote and directed “Leaving Yellowstone,” which lists Spike Lee as executive producer. After graduating from MSU in 2013, Arend moved to New York and received her MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she now works as an adjunct professor. “Leaving Yellowstone” is a thriller about a woman whose relationship with her boyfriend becomes strained during a winter vacation to Yellowstone National Park. The film will be shown at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.

For more information about the film festival or to purchase tickets, visit: www.montanafilmfestival.org.