How to see long-awaited Ivan Doig film in Missoula

Even for people who've never even been to Montana the books provide an unforgettable portrait of Big Sky Country.

And if you live here? Well, Ivan Doig remains the modern master of the Montana novel.

However, what about the stories surrounding the man himself? Tonight we're finally going to get a peek "behind the curtain" as the long-awaited documentary on the acclaimed late author makes its World Premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

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"Ivan Doig: Landscapes of a Western Mind" is a 57-minute, intimate look at the man who passed away in 2015. Produced by filmmaker Nic Davis of Bozeman and written by Davis and Marguerite H. Nocchi, the film is a joint production of 4:08 Productions of Montana PBS.

Doig was a third-generation Montana who was able to wrap amazing stories around versions of his own family's experiences but also tells the broader tale of a country in transition. Born in White Sulphur Springs, it was his boyhood years growing up on the Rocky Mountain Front that informed his interpretation, and love, of a Montana that was beginning to vanish even then.

From landmark volumes like "This House of Sky" to the "McCaskill trilogy" and his final published work, "Last Bus to Wisdom", Doig's spare, but colorful depictions of his characters reflect the country and people he loved. But they also have created a record of a Montana becoming more distant with each passing year.

Tonight's screening at the Wilma Theater starts at 8:00 pm. And unlike some other films, the Doig doc will not be available to stream online afterward. You can purchase tickets at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival website.