Autumn begins Sept. 23
your homegrown newspaper September 20, 2023
$1.25 Vol. 20, No. 1
Nova Vento poised for growth at new Polson headquarters By Summer Goddard Valley Journal
Harvest Fest pg. 5
Recognized pg. 7
Sports pg. 15
“Welcome to the future of Montana filmmaking,” reads a sign outside the new Nova Vento Entertainment headquarters in Polson. Nova Vento, which means “New Wind,” is a locally-owned film production and distribution company. The company’s start can be traced back to a post on Polson’s Facebook Yardsale page. Brandon Smith, who’d worked previously for New Line Cinema in another state, asked if anyone wanted to help him make a short film. Eden Bryant, who’d attended film school and was working as a photographer, responded yes. Four years, several films and an additional business partner later, Nova Vento is preparing for growth. The company opened doors at their new location at 145 South Crest Lake Road in Polson last July. Approximately 5,000 square feet, the new center of operations has spacious meeting and living areas,
SUMMER GODDARD / VALLEY JOURNAL
Nova Vento Entertainment’s spacious new headquarters houses office and storage space as well as living quarters for visiting filmmakers or actors.
a kitchen, four offices and panoramic views of Flathead Lake. Twelve offices were converted to bedrooms to help provide temporary housing as its needed for visiting film crews and actors. Co-owned by Smith,
Bryant and Polson Theatres owner Becky Dupuis, the inspiration for starting a Montana film company began with the desire to fill a need. The distribution arm of Nova Vento began in
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SUMMER GODDARD / VALLEY JOURNAL
Brandon Smith, right, and Eden Bryant, center, speak with a community member, left, about the logistics of how they filmed the movie “Somewhere in Montana,” after the Sept. 16 screening.