Big Sky Times

Bradley Wilson of Butte, Montana, performs a backflip during a mogul run at the 2019 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Championships in Deer Valley, Utah. The two-time Olympic athlete is among several local skiers featured in the film “Mavericks” that chronicles the history of the sport in Montana. Kelly Gorham photo.

“Mavericks,” an award-winning documentary from Montana PBS about Montana’s freestyle skiing legacy, will be screened at two film festivals this winter in Bozeman and Polson.

The film will screen at the Bozeman International Film Festival scheduled for Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with producers Scott Sterling and Kelly Gorham. More information, including a detailed schedule and ticket information, will be available at bozemanfilmcelebration.com/.

“Mavericks” will also be screened at the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest in Polson on Friday, Feb. 24, and again on Sunday, Feb. 26. The Feb. 26 screening will be followed by a Q&A and discussion with Sterling, Gorham and Olympic gold medalist Eric Bergoust, who is featured in the documentary. “Mavericks” is nominated for the festival’s Best Montana Film and Best Documentary Feature awards.

More information, including details about the times of the screenings and ticket information, will be available at flicpolson.com.

The filmmakers call Montana freestyle skiers the mavericks of the sport, with multiple freestyle skiers from throughout the state getting their start on homemade jumps before going on to impressive careers. Freestyle skiing is a sport comprising aerials, moguls, half-pipe, slopestyle and more, with skiers often performing aerial flips and spins.

“Mavericks” follows the careers of several Montana freestyle skiers, including Olympic gold medal winner Bergoust of Missoula, Bryon and Bradley Wilson of Butte, Darian Stevens of Missoula, Heather McPhie of Bozeman and Maggie Voisin of Whitefish. 

Using archival footage and original cinematography, the film captures “the struggles, victories, unsurpassed work ethic and unbreakable spirit of some of the state’s most renowned athletes in a sport where mere seconds determine the outcome of a career,” according to Gorham, producer and writer. Sterling, director of production at Montana PBS, is the film’s producer, director and editor, and Aaron Pruitt, Montana PBS director and general manager, is the executive producer.

Original source can be found here.