"Mother Range" set to premiere in Big Sky Film Festival

Hidden within the sweeping landscapes of the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness, two women balance the struggles of family life and maintaining their ranches, all while raising sustainable beef. The documentary “Mother Range” captures their story.

The film — set to premiere at the Big Sky Film Festival this Saturday — tells the story of first-generation female ranchers Amber Smith and Jaimie Stoltzfus as they enter a historically male-dominated industry, according to producer Zach Altman's website. 

The Big Sky Film Festival is a 10-day event that showcases more than 150 films from around the world, according to the Visit Montana website. 

Altman is a Livingston-based filmmaker who is passionate about nature and local communities, according to his website. 

“I'm just grateful for our team and for the families and characters that trusted us to tell a part of their story,” Altman said. “And that's ultimately what storytelling and documentary filmmaking should be about, is just telling real stories and honoring those relationships into the future.”

Smith ranches on the Antelope Springs Ranch near Cohagen. She is the executive director of Women in Ranching, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a safe space and championing female ranchers, according to its website.

Stoltzfus ranches in Big Timber and is the founder and owner of Cowgirl Meat Company, which sells sustainable pork and beef to consumers directly from the ranch. Stoltzfus is also the fellowship director for Art of the Cowgirl, a community of western artists. 

Both women are mothers and work alongside their families to produce sustainable meat and to maintain their ranches.

Anthony Pavkovich, a photographer and filmmaker based in Wisconsin, directed the film. Pavkovich’s recent works have addressed local agriculture in Montana and the food industry, according to his website.

The "Mother Range" team decided to focus the film on Smith and Stoltzfus because of their inspirational stories, according to Altman's website.

“There's so many different facts that are interesting and compelling about them, and we wanted to hone in on how their different way of thinking and approaching ranching impacts their openness to collaborate and try new things,” Altman said.

Megan Torgerson, based in Missoula, also helped produce the film. Torgerson is the founder, producer and host of the award-winning Reframing Rural documentary podcast, which covers unique stories in rural landscapes, according to its website. 

“[Altman] and [Pavkovich] did a lot of heavy lifting, but I was able to come in with the skills that I had in storyboarding. I was interviewing and fundraising to make this film happen,” Torgerson said.

"Mother Range" was filmed in Big Timber at the Stoltzfus family ranch near the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness, according to Altman.

“It's so beautiful. You're going to see landscapes that you probably haven't spent time in around Montana,” Altman said. “Like often-forgotten parts of the state, that are really beautiful and interesting and not always exactly like the landscapes we have here in the Gallatin Valley, in the Greater Yellowstone.”

According to him, the film’s purpose is not to be a grand analysis of the entire beef industry. “It's really just a portrait of these two women and their families' experiences in ranching,” he said.

"Mother Range" emphasizes the importance of representation amongst local ranchers, according to Altman.

“The agricultural business is at a tipping point right now, and we really need to be celebrating and acknowledging those who are fighting the fight and trying to stay in that business,” Altman said. “Especially first-generation people and women and people of color coming into this space, which is predominantly male-oriented.”

Stoltzfus said that the film allowed her to really take a look at her daily life and hopes that it inspires more women to enter the field of ranching. 

“I think it was really a blessing to pause and be interviewed and just kind of slow down and share what we do with the hopes it educates and inspires other people and shares about our food system as a whole,” Stoltzfus said.

“I just think there's such an inner strength that I see in women in this work, because it takes an immense amount of resilience and grit and grace and sense of humor and all those things,” she said. “And there's just so much strength, like a quiet strength.”

To learn more about "Mother Range," visit https://bigskyfilmfest.org/.