MONTANA FILMMAKER’S ‘SAVING FOR THE DAY,’ A LOVE LETTER TO MISSOULA

by Kevin Maki of NBC Montana (KECI)

“MISSOULA, Mont. — A movie set in Missoula, written and directed by a Montana man, and starring Montana actors, premiered at the Roxy Theater in Missoula this week.

‘Saving For The Day’ runs at the Roxy through Thursday. For director/writer, John D. Nilles, it was a 12-year odyssey to bring his action-adventure to the screen. He told NBC Montana the picture is his “love letter to Missoula and to Montana.”

[…]Since he was a kid growing up in the Bitterroot, John knew he wanted to make movies. Back in 1988, when he was six years old, a Hollywood film crew came to Hamilton to make a cops and robbers caper called ‘Disorganized Crime.'[…]”

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A MONTANA MOVIE, 12 YEARS IN THE MAKING, TO HAVE ITS PREMIERE

by Sierra Cistone for the Missoulian 

“After more than a decade of anticipation, “Saving for the Day,” will hit the big screen for its world premiere.

The film is the brainchild of filmmaker and fifth-generation Montanan, John Nilles, who created a “love letter to Missoula.” Indeed, the film is marked by a backdrop of Missoula landscapes and scenes that locals will recognize in a heartbeat. The “M,” Circle Square Second Hand Store and the Ceretana building are just a few of the easily recognizable places that are featured in the film…”

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HELENA CITY COMMISSIONER STARS IN MOVIE 14 YEARS IN THE MAKING

by Sierra Cistone for the Missoulian

“Long before he became Helena City Commissioner Andy Shirtliff, he was actor and movie producer Andy Shirtliff, and his debut film is set to premiere at The Wilma in Missoula on Saturday night.[…]

I was living in Missoula at the time, finishing college,” he said. “I had some friends in the local film industry who asked me to audition, and I got the part.”

He described the film as a “family fun adventure romantic comedy.”

“It’s an homage to movies we grew up loving,” he said.

It’s a multi-genre tale told with everything from Western flair to film noir to zombie apocalypse. But a limited budget did not keep Nilles from creating a true Missoula-inspired gem of a movie.”

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MOVIE PRODUCED BY MONTANANS PREMIERING

by Bradley Warren of ABC Fox

“MISSOULA, Mont. – A movie coming out of the Treasure State, “Saving For The Day” is a multi-genre film that over 400 Montanans helped work on and was a grassroots effort 12 years in the making.

In the movie, Joe Bell is a penny-pinching hermit saving for the day when his real life will begin until he is gifted an old treasure chest.

But he has to travel through a series of adventures to find the key.

I got to sit and speak with Helena City Commissioner Andy Shirtliff, who plays the role of the main character Joe Bell that you can watch above.”

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MASSIVE, MULTI-GENRE FILM MADE IN MONTANA TO DEBUT AT THE WILMA

by Christian Grant of Zoo FM 96.9

“This Saturday, March 11th (2023) The Wilma in Missoula is hosting a genre-bending action adventure film made in Montana by Montanans. It’s called Saving For The Day, here’s the event page and you can check out the trailer below:[…]

“My love for Missoula inspired me,” said John. “I’m from Western Montana and grew up in the Bitterroot and I moved an hour north to Missoula and I fell in love with the city and the people and the culture here. It’s a major part of the back drop for Saving For The Day.”

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STATE-OF-THE-ART FILM STUDIO LAUNCHES IN MISSOULA

by Megan Mannering of KPAX

“MISSOULA — “I’m a fifth generation Montanan. My great, great, great grandparents settled in the Bitterroot Valley. They came via oxen train,” said John D. Nilles.

It’s clear that Nilles’s Montana roots run deep, but his Montana dream is just beginning to grow.

“It’s been my dream to open a studio in western Montana for about 20 years now,” said Nilles.

A goal 20 years in the making finally came to fruition in 2020 when Nilles and partner Annie Graham launched Treasure State Studios, a state of the art studio and post production house in Missoula.[…]”

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HOMEGROWN FILM PRODUCTION STUDIO DEBUTS IN MISSOULA

by Cory Walsh of the Missoulian
Photos: Ben Allan Smith

A new film production outlet has premiered in Missoula.

Treasure State Studios, located on West Harrier Drive, has been renovated and stocked with equipment for shooting, editing and mixing for local and visiting productions.

Co-owner John D. Nilles, a Missoula filmmaker, said they aim to “provide services for out-of-state companies and get jobs for locals,” and also ensure that local filmmakers “have a voice in the growth” happening in their industry.

Nilles has directed a feature film, “Saving for the Day,” along with documentaries, commercial work and music videos.[…]

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MISSOULA WELCOMES NEW FILM STUDIO

by Tessa Nadeau of ABC FOX Montana

“MISSOULA, Mont. – As the states film industry grows, a local production company opened a new movie studio in the Garden City. Treasure State Studios wants to shine a light on Montana’s talent, resources and locations. Production companies can rent out the space and bring in their crew, or hire the Missoula-based company, With a Cause Productions, to help out.[…]

“So, we have a cyclorama. We’ve got industry standard lighting, grip and electric gear. We have a ‘grandma’s parlor chic’ decorated green room, with an adjacent ‘River Runs Through It’ [themed] make-up suite,” Nilles said.

“We would like to see these big projects that are shooting in Montana actually be led by Montanans,” he said.[…]

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