MISSOULA - Twelve years and 400 Montanans later, a new family friendly action movie is premiering at The Roxy.
'Saving for the Day' was directed by John Nilles and produced by his two companies — Shoot Montana and With a Cause Productions — to give Montanans a story about Montana, made by Montanans.
“I think it's really great when Montanans get an opportunity to tell stories set in Montana, and we have a unique voice and there are so many different stories that we can tell here, and we're just excited that 'Saving for the Day' can be a part of that plethora of stories,” Nilles says.
Nilles says the movie is a bit like 'Indian Jones' set in the present day but is dedicated to his love for Missoula.
“My favorite part of Montana is Missoula,” he says. “And this film is a love letter to Missoula, and really Montana at large, but it specifically goes into Missoula and the landmarks and some of the quirky characters that we have here.”
Nilles says important identifiers for Missoula are included in the film, including ‘The M,’ and the Florence Hotel. His company, Shoot Montana, is a production organization that focuses on sharing the talent in Montana.
“Shoot Montana I started really to shine a light on the talent that we have in the state and to help connect that talent to opportunities that come into the state,” he says. “And it's a goal of mine to cultivate and help Montana storytellers, artists and filmmakers get their story and their work out to a large audience.”
Nilles says he got his knack for storytelling from his Montanan ancestors.
“My great, great, great grandparents homesteaded in The Bitterroot. And growing up, I heard all kinds of interesting stories about the 'old days,' and it inspired me to be a storyteller,” he says. “I think my family has always had pride in being Montanans, and I think that Western Montana is ripe for a bunch of different stories to be told.”
His favorite part of directing, he says, was bonding with the cast and crew, all of whom are residents in Montana.
“Montanans made this film and we made it with love.”
Saving for the Day originally premiered in March at The Wilma. In the audience for that premiere was Nicko Lannen, the creative manager at Draught Works.
“After I watched it, I loved it,” she says. “Not only because it was like super entertaining, and you know, hit a bunch of different genres, it was also filmed right here. In our backyard. And so I felt kind of, like, immediately connected to it.”
After watching it once, she knew she wanted to share the film with her friends and family in Missoula, but there were to be no more showings of Saving for the Day.
So, Lannen decided to make another premiere happen herself. Draught Works has been a sponsor for The Roxy for many years, so she asked them if they would show Nilles’s film.
Now, a second premiere of 'Saving for the Day' is set to occur this weekend, with the first showing at 7:15 p.m. Friday, May 19. There will also be a Q&A session after the film with cast and crew.
Other showings are:
- Saturday, May 20, 2023 - 7 p.m.
- Sunday, May 21, 2023 - 3 p.m.
- Monday, May 22, 2023 - 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - 7 p.m.
- Thursday, May 25, 2023 - 7 p.m.
May 21 will be a kids and family day with an ice cream after-party near the Roxy. May 23 will have a party before the showing at Draught Works at 5 p.m.
More information on the film, including the full trailer, can be found here.
