WESTLAND IMPACT FESTIVAL

Walking Raven Woman @mariahgladstone - delivers a riveting Ignite Talk at Winterland Solutionist Summit. Full 9 minute presentation is on our website and is a must if you haven’t studied the history of Westward Expansion and the strategic governmental decimation of Indigenous food systems. Walking Raven Woman is of Blackfeet and Cherokee heritage and is the founder of @indigikitchen . She’s also a graduate of Columbia University with a degree in Environmental Engineering and earned a Masters from SUNY with several academic honors and Fellowships including recognition from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a Champion of Change. She lives and works on her homelands —the Blackfeet Nation in Babb, Montana.

Short clip of @pashonmurray of @detroitdirt inspiring Ignite Talk at the Winterland Solutionist Summit. Go to link in bio for full version and more content! Can’t get enough of Pashon’s wisdom and energy💥

Note from the Founder ✊🏼 This photo represents a day in a conference room at @firebrandwhitefish with teammates workshopping the idea of a new breed of festival to bring to Whitefish and greater Montana. A ten year dream I had that would leverage my network as a producer and knit together my life-long environmental and social justice activism and deep love of the Montana landscapes that shaped me. Something that was guided by purpose, maybe a movement as much as it is an event. Film, music, inspiring speakers and subject matter expertise — real talk. Something to rally community using storytelling as a medium to share new ideas. Something that would showcase real solutions and optimism around the challenges we face as humanity. Something where shared wisdom comes from having a diversity of voices in the room. Something that will show us that we actually share more common ground than differences in a nation divided. Something that might have the power to open hearts and minds and bridge the gaps in how we show up as a community around the most pressing issues of our time. Something that makes us feel uplifted and hopeful, inspired and unified. On September 26-29, Project Winterland will present Winterland Impact Festival: 46 films, 29 speakers - including film panels, keynotes and Ignite speakers, 5 incredible immersive experiences, a Story Village with live podcasting, 6 bands and 2 performances by solo artists including a Grammy winner and The Native American National artist of the year in 2022 who also co-wrote and performed the title track to Bring Them Home — our opening night film. An All-Access pass will get you into 4 days of programming AND our opening night happy hour reception, sponsored by @herb.and.omni AND Jason Momoa & Blaine Halvorson’s @meilivodka company (Jason is featured in Common Ground film on Friday night.) My friends……our hard-working team and I would be so honored if you would join us at the Impact Festival ❤️ Festival Passes & 🎟️ at link in bio 📸 @travis_bruyer_officially (thanks for capturing this moment)

Not every story is meant to comfort—Some are meant to confront what we carry, and what we endure. Today’s featured film: 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡, a stop-motion animation short directed by Parker Croft (As Easy As Closing Your Eyes, Suncatcher), written by Spike Milliken and Parker Croft (The Liars of Black Mountain Road), and produced by Nolan Gould (Modern Family (ABC), As Easy As Closing Your Eyes, The Liars of Black Mountain Road), Parker Croft, and Erika Totoro (Le Charade), is the first installment of the Hard Times anthology. Set on a dying farm on the outskirts of Ash Harbor, the film follows a patriarch slowly ground down by the machinery of despair—where endurance gives way to something far more existential. A haunting portrait of collapse told through dust, labor, and silence. We’re building something meaningful together, and it starts with the stories we choose to share. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhyWestland #WhitefishMontana #stopmotionanimation

𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 As the sun goes down in Whitefish, Westland comes alive through music, storytelling, and shared experience. Our live music lineup is designed to bring people together and carry the spirit of the festival into the night. Returning to Westland this year, Montana’s own 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙠𝙚 brings back his unmistakable blend of grit, soul, and storytelling. Rooted in the spirit of the American West, Sterling’s music carries the kind of honesty, depth, and lived experience that stays with you long after the last note. In 2024, he was honored with the Male Honky Tonk Artist award at the Ameripolitan Music Awards, earning national recognition while staying deeply connected to his Montana roots. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhyWestland #WhitefishMontana #SterlingDrake #LiveMusicInMontana

This year, Westland Impact Festival is partnering with 𝗙𝗗𝗘𝗦: 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 and founder Justin Barry to create one-of-a-kind festival merch rooted in creativity, craftsmanship, and purpose. Based in Montana, Justin transforms discarded outdoor gear, deadstock textiles, and forgotten materials into functional art—bringing new life to what others might call waste. For Westland, he’s creating custom pieces and screen-printed apparel designed exclusively for our community. Think thrift-flipped originals, hand-built gear, and wearable art with a story. More designs—and a few surprises—are still to come. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhyWestland #WhitefishMontana #CustomMerch #upcycling #thrift #sustainablefashion #screenprinting #clothes

Oh wow… a super cool collaboration just came together for all of you. When you purchase your pass to Westland Impact Festival, you’ll now receive a complimentary ticket to WHITEFISH SONGWRITER FESTIVAL PREVIEW! Yep… two unforgettable experiences. One Westland pass. Featuring an intimate songwriter round with Grammy-winning and legendary hitmakers whose songs have been recorded by The Chicks, Kenny Chesney, Lady Gaga, Jason Aldean, Riley Green, and more. Honestly… we’re kind of freaking out over this one. 🎟 Get your Westland pass today: / After purchasing your Westland pass, you’ll receive a special redemption code and link to claim your complimentary ticket to 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬 in Whitefish. Whitefish just got even better. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhitefishSongwriterFestival #WhitefishMontana #SongsAndStories #LiveMusic @whitefishsongwriterfestival

There are conversations we don’t always make space for— But they matter just the same. Today’s featured film: 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝’𝙨 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙮 Earth’s Greatest Enemy, directed by Abby Martin and Mike Prysner (Gaza Fights for Freedom), is an investigative documentary exploring the often-overlooked environmental footprint of global military operations. Through powerful journalism, striking visuals, and stories from impacted communities, the film invites audiences to consider the complex intersection of war, power, and our planet. Provocative, timely, and deeply human, it opens the door to conversations that are rarely part of the climate movement. We’re building something meaningful together, and it starts with the stories we choose to share. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhyWestland #WhitefishMontana @fababs @empirefiles

Creativity has a way of bringing stories to life in unexpected ways—Frame by frame, detail by detail. Today’s featured film: 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙥𝙚 Calliope, directed by Melissa Bloom of The Sisters Bloom, with music by @k.atels , is an eco-conscious stop-motion animation experience created in Kalispell. Returning to Westland after creating the beloved animated bison film for Project Winterland last year, Melissa brings not one, but two stop-motion projects to this year’s festival—and will share a sneak peek of a third new piece live with audiences in Whitefish. Blending handcrafted artistry, storytelling, and a deep connection to nature, her work is quickly becoming part of Westland’s creative legacy. We’re building something meaningful together, and it starts with the stories we choose to share. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhyWestland #WhitefishMontana @sistersbloomstudios @anderson_888 @k.atels

Resilience doesn’t always look the way people expect— Sometimes it’s carried quietly, generation to generation. Today’s featured film: 𝙐𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 Undefeated, directed by Kamran S. Rosen, with executive producer Donnie Wetzel Jr. and co-produced by Westland’s own Ivan MacDonald, is a film above all about resilience and the importance of identity for the Native community. “When you say historical trauma, I say historical resilience.” — Donnie Wetzel Jr. We’re building something meaningful together, and it starts with the stories we choose to share. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhyWestland #WhitefishMontana #theundefeatedfilm

Balance isn’t always easy—Especially when the stakes are this high. Today’s featured film: 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 Carrying Capacity: The Hunt for Resilience, directed by Zach Montes (Denizens of the Steep), takes audiences into the rugged landscapes of Wyoming, where the future of bighorn sheep hangs in a delicate balance. As disease, habitat limitations, and growing populations threaten the herd’s survival, wildlife managers, scientists, and hunters are forced to confront difficult questions about what it truly means to protect a species. We’re building something meaningful together, and it starts with the stories we choose to share. #WestlandImpactFestival #WhyWestland #WhitefishMontana