Westland Montana Impact Festival Announces Groundbreaking 2026 Edition (original) (raw)
Presented by Project Winterland, the three-day Montana gathering features 27 films, 15 panels, 40 speakers, live music, four venues, and an opening-night Indigenous Forum—alongside committing to produce an ambitious, battery-powered live event in partnership with New Use Energy (NUE).
, /PRNewswire/ -- Forged in Montana and rooted in purpose, the June 11-13, 2026 Westland Impact Festival—a three-day gathering featuring 27 films, 15 panels, more than 40 speakers, live music, and programming across four venues in downtown Whitefish. Westland Impact Festival reflects the relationships, courage, and the belief that when people gather with purpose, new ideas—and new partnerships—can take root. Westland's tagline says it simply: "A Power Generator for the Greater Good."
Founder and native Montanan, Anderson Rosenthal states, "What we've built this year has truly exceeded every expectation. Five months ago, when we began to chart our programming, it would have been hard to imagine the caliber of groundbreaking content, noted experts, artists, and elite scientists we've assembled. To accomplish that — and simultaneously execute a first-of-its-kind clean energy demonstration project on-site — makes this second edition of our Impact Festival enormously gratifying."
Films and filmmakers from Sundance Labs, the Rockefeller Foundation, National Geographic, the Bush Foundation, and Emmy-winning producers and writers —along with projects that include Academy Award-winning actors, directors, and celebrated names: Viola Davis, Jeff Bridges, and Wes Studi. Directors include Oscar nominee Sara Dosa, Leya Hale, Susan Kucera, Ramzi Bashour, Richie James Follin, Matthew Thompson, Parker Croft, Steven Reich, Kamran Rosen, Daniel Glick, and Melissa Bloom.
Beyond film, we bring a meticulously curated selection of experts spanning finance, biomimicry, sustainable data center innovation, attainable housing, regenerative agriculture, AI, philanthropy, and traditional ecological knowledge. Our culture tracks include two panel discussions on the future of sports and entertainment. Our Ignite Speaker, Ayisha Siddiqa, was a prominent cover of Time magazine's Woman of the Year at age 23. She's currently an advisor-in-residence at The Hague, in the Netherlands, while simultaneously finishing law school at UCLA. 1
A New Standard in Live Event Production
Perhaps our most historic achievement**:** We will power our 3-day festival using solar energy—3 x 14-hour days across four venues—by deploying a suite of transportable batteries provided by our partner, New Use Energy (NUE). The batteries will be trucked directly from an event at Google in San Francisco to Whitefish. Battery charging will not rely on the grid; our on-site Festival Solar Pavilion will power it. Local solar company, Northstone Solar, is providing the panels.
Westland will not only be a multicultural, content-rich, entertaining, and educational top-tier connecting experience — it will be a living demonstration project showing what's Possible.
Westland Festival Producer, Kimberly Rachelle, reports, "To further demonstrate our commitment to sustainable practices, all of our festival merchandise is being custom-made by our local partners at FDES. They will use thrift-flipped garments in partnership with Flathead Industries to repurpose them into one-of-a-kind tees, hats, and button-downs. We have also partnered with TripZero for travel-related carbon-erasure."
Opening Night Honors Indigenous Leadership
Opening Night on June 11th will begin with a cocktail gathering for All-Access Festival Pass Holders in the O'Shaughnessey's theatre lobby from 4:30-6 pm. Then a moment we're especially proud of – attendees will move into the theatre to experience a traditional honor song and ceremony before introducing our Indigenous Forum – part of a full day of Indigenous programming featuring filmmakers and leaders representing the Blackfeet, Salish-Kootenai, Sicáŋğu Lak̇óta Oyáte (Rosebud), Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Dine, Navajo, Pueblo, and Crow Nations, as well as filmmakers from Indigenous nations across Canada, Mexico, and South America.
2026 Festival Highlights Include:
Live Performances Include:
- Sterling Drake — 2024 Nashville Honky Tonk Artist of the Year
- Rachel Crow — The X Factor, Nickelodeon, and Disney alumna
- AY Young — United Nations Young Leader and founder of Battery Tour
- 20 Grand — Whitefish's beloved local 9-piece funk band
- Katels — Solo acoustic performer from Polson, Montana
Signature Film Experiences:
- Bright Harvest: Powering Earth from Space, followed by a live conversation with Director Steven Reich, Producer Brigitte Bren, and the Caltech scientists behind this groundbreaking film.
- In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey, narrated by Jeff Bridges and directed by long-time Bridges collaborator, Susan Kucera. Science writer David Quammen, along with Indigenous writer and scientist Dr. Cristina Eisenberg, and Cameron Krebs, are featured in the film. It will be followed by a panel conversation featuring Eisenberg, Krebs, and Doug Chadwick in partnership with the Vital Ground Foundation.
- FOOD2050, produced by The Rockefeller Foundation and narrated by Viola Davis, showcases the next generation of innovators who share the vision of a future where food both nourishes humanity and heals our planet. A panel will follow the screening featuring Sicáŋğu Lak̇óta Oyáte food sovereignty expert and community leader Matte Wilson, in conversation with Walking Raven Woman, aka Mariah Gladstone, Blackfeet founder of Indigikitchen, moderated by food journalist Ari Le Vaux.
- Time and Water, produced by National Geographic and directed by Oscar-nominated director Sara Dosa. The film examines a man facing the death of his country's glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents. Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away — family, memory, time, and water.
Trailer - No Greater Act: Pueblo Resistance, a documentary narrated by Oscar-winning and Indigenous actor, Wes Studi, and produced by Maura Dhru.
Other speakers and leaders include:
Aaron J Fossett • Alexandra Maria Azevedo • Ari Le Vaux • AY Young • BEX FRUCHT • Bryce Barnes • Kenna Halsey • Matte Wilson • Potlikker Capital • Breanna Schultz • Brigitte Bren • James Brown III • Robert Suarez • Jason Twill • Tele Mike • James Brown, Jr • Offscript Worldwide • Storyhouse • Kaushal Chokshi • Rock Jacobs • Gift Sukez Sukali • Robert Diaz LeRoy • WELL/BEINGS • Steven Reich • Jonathan Correia • Habitat for Humanity • Brian Fairhurst • Jamie Goguen • Molly McCabe • Riss Getts • Mike Zingg • Robert McDonald • Mike Johnson, LFA • Karen Osborn • Mariah Gladstone • Nicole Miller • Kevin Halsey
Tickets and Information
Festival passes are available now at: Westland Impact Festival Tickets
About Project Winterland
Project Winterland produces gatherings that bring together storytellers, artists, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, educators, and community leaders to explore the ideas shaping our shared future. Through film, music, dialogue, and immersive experiences, the organization creates spaces where connection leads to collaboration, and collaboration leads to action. Westland Impact Festival, a three-day Montana gathering features 27 films, 15 panels, 40 speakers, live music, four venues, and an opening-night Indigenous Forum June 11-13, 2026.
CONTACT: Imalpr, [email protected], 301-325-4085
SOURCE Westland Impact Festival
