Mother Range film premieres on YouTube after successful film festival turnout

The documentary “Mother Range” follows two first-generation female Montana ranchers as they sell beef directly to their communities and is now free to watch on YouTube after a successful run at regional film festivals. 

The film went online on Friday, Oct. 2, allowing viewers around the world to watch and share it. It previously screened only at in-person events, including its February premiere at the Big Sky Film Festival. 

“For the Big Sky premiere, you had to be there in person or have a ticket,” said Anthony Pavkovich, the film's director. “Now we have it up on YouTube, so anyone can see it. Anyone can share it, and hopefully that starts some wider discussions.” 

Pavkovich, a Wisconsin-based photographer and filmmaker, said the film centers on local Montanans, Amber Smith and Jaimie Stoltzfus, as they find a new approach to feeding their neighbors. 

“The film’s about two Montana ranchers looking for an innovative way to feed the community by partnering together and doing direct-to-market beef,” he said.

According to Pavkovich, most of Montana’s beef is shipped out-of-state to feedlots, and the film offers a look into an alternative way the two Montanans profit from beef.

The ranchers in the film are both first-generation ranchers and mothers. Smith ranches near Cohagen, Montana, and is the executive director of Women in Ranching. Stoltzfus ranches in Big Timber, Montana, and owns Cowgirl Meat Company, where she sells beef and pork directly from her ranch.  

The film’s producer Zach Altman said the online release caps a festival run that was designed to reach Montana communities first.

According to producer Megan Torgerson, after premiering at Big Sky, the film screened at the Wild and Working Lands Festival, Wyoming International Film Festival, the Red Ants Pants Music Festival, Grazing Expo and Western Sustainability Exchange's Expanding Markets Conference. 

“The online release is just the icing on the cake,” Altman said. “We met our goals to get it into the Montana population as best we could, and now we just get to share it far and wide.”

Altman, a Livingston-based filmmaker, said the film’s trailer drew wide attention online ahead of its Big Sky premiere, even though the full film was not available to watch at the time.

“It was a bit of a tease for some folks, I think, because it wasn’t going to be easily accessible at that point,” he said. “So it feels good to satisfy everybody’s wishes.”

Altman said the team knew who the target audience was when they applied for grants. He described it as a niche film aimed at Montanans wondering how their food reaches them, particularly in the larger cities such as Bozeman, Livingston, Missoula and Billings.

“If you’re in Montana and you’re wondering why every rancher doesn’t just sell directly to the grocery store or at the farmers market or online, hopefully this film answers the question of just how complicated it is to do that and how much more work it takes,” Altman said.

He added that he hopes big city residents learn how thoughtful and hardworking many ranchers are about managing their land and caring for their cattle.

The Mother Range team is not finished with in-person events quite yet. The Northern Plains Resource Council has asked to host a screening, and Pavkovich said the team hopes to bring the film to the small communities where it was shot. A Billings showing with a local partner is also planned. Altman said the film will likely appear at conferences and targeted events, and that organizations are sharing it in newsletters.

Pavkovich invited readers to watch, especially those who are new to Montana. “Get to know some Montanans that raise their food,” he said. “Get curious where their food comes from.”

For Montana natives, he said, the film might prompt memories of growing up raising food or having neighbors who did, and how that builds community.

Altman said he is grateful that Smith and Stoltzfus feel the film respected their story. Pavkovich also thanked the two ranchers for their trust.

“It takes a lot of trust and a lot of bravery to be on a screen like that,” he said.

To watch Mother Range, visit https://youtu.be/7FSxhDscK6I?si=YTXcNAEYrh53Y0Sf.