By Kacie Svoboda
The 2016 Black Hills Film Festival (BHFF) presented more than 35 films in four theaters, over 10 Q&A sessions, several parties and receptions and a special interview with Stephan Lang. A total of 13 films were nominated for special recognition in four categories — Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Documentary—Feature and Best Documentary—Short.
Careful consideration went into determining whether the films’ stories held the viewers’ interest and the overall quality of the productions before jurors Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kieth Merril, writer/director Anthony Lucero, director Andres Torres-Vives and director Todd Douglas Miller selected the top film in each category.
“Misfortune” beat out “Payback” from Brazil to take home the Best Feature Film award. “Misfortune” examines the lengths people will go to for money and follows a fierce cat-and-mouse chase over a hostile, desert landscape in search of hidden inheritance.
American-made “Bird Dog” won for Best Short Film, outshining four other shorts — “3000,” “Birthday,” “Legend of Amba” and “Whispering Pines.” “Bird Dog” focuses on an imaginative young girl’s fear and wonder after she swallows the heart of a mourning dove.
“The Legend of Swee’ Pea” won as the Best "Documentary—Feature, beating out “Fighting for Hope,” “SMART” and “The C Word.” “The Legend of Swee’ Pea” follows the improbable comeback of flawed hero and basketball prodigy Lloyd ‘Swee’ Pea’ Daniels.
“Phil’s Camino” overcame “Jackson Pollock’s Mural” in the Best Documentary—Short category. “Phil’s Camino” follows a free spirit with stage-4 cancer who builds a path in his backyard in Seattle and uses it to walk the equivalent of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a 500-mile pilgrimage route.
Finally, the hundreds of 2016 BHFF attendees cast their vote for the People’s Choice award, selecting locally filmed short “Lakota Girls.” This film brings together a Native American and a white family through the connections of two young girls in the midst of racial tensions. “Lakota Girls” was filmed near Custer and at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Approximately 1,500 individuals attended the BHFF, a total that topped the 2015 totals but fell short of 2014’s attendance. The 2014 BHFF saw 2,500 to 3,000 attendees. BHFF executive director Chris VanNess noted that it also ran from Wednesday evening through Sunday — while this year’s festival spanned only Wednesday evening to Saturday.
Although 2016’s overall attendance didn’t top the BHFF’s previous showings, VanNess was pleased with this year’s event. “I thought it went very well,” she said. “I was very happy with opening night. There were over 400 people.”