ABOUT US

PURPOSE

The purpose of this non-profit organization is to conduct an annual film festival in the Black Hills that features South Dakota-produced films and films shot on location in South Dakota, among other national and international entries.

MISSION

The mission of the Black Hills Film Festival is to build awareness of independent films and film as an art form; provide educational opportunities for students and South Dakota filmmakers; and create opportunities for South Dakota communities to experience high-quality films.

ORGANIZATION

The Black Hills Film Festival is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization operating in Rapid City, the second largest city in South Dakota. Rapid City is known as a gateway to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore, the massive iconic sculpture of 4 U.S. presidents. “City of Presidents,” a series of life-size bronze statues, spans several blocks downtown and the city features easy access to area attractions, trails, restaurants, shopping, and scenic byways.

Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard VanNess

PRESIDENT

Rick is retired from Crow Ridge Productions, a film production company he started with his wife. He is an experienced sound mixer/recordist, often recording concerts for South Dakota Public Broadcasting in addition to his film and TV work. Rick worked on the Walt Disney production National Treasure: Book of Secrets as an Assistant Location Manager; was sound recordist for the Full Throttle Saloon reality TV series and has many contacts in the film industry. Rick co-founded Open Stage in 2008 -
a Hill City winter program for emerging performers - and the Black Hills Film Festival in 2009. Rick continues to mentor students to run sound and projection and his technical expertise greatly benefits the Film Festival’s ability to create a high-quality program.

Egija Hartmane-Salem

VICE PRESIDENT

Egija was born in Latvia and spent much of her childhood, and later her summer breaks, in the film, culture, and art house that was run by her grand- parents for more than 40 years. That’s when she fell in love with films and many different art forms at a very early age. She worked as a freelance feature writer for one of the leading newspapers in Latvia but developed a passion for documentary filmmaking after moving to America in 2006. Egija received her MA in broadcast journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder and has been working on various documentary and educational projects since then. Egija worked on the media crew for the Boulder International Film Festival for 10 years and joined the Black Hills Film Festival Board of Directors in 2019.

Molli Cameron

SECRETARY

Molli was born in Indiana. Her maternal great-grandfather was from South Dakota and her great-grandmother moved to the state to teach. Molli is the director, co-producer, screenwriter, video editor, and costumer for the feature film Lakota Girls, shot in the Black Hills and at Pine Ridge. Her film won the People’s Choice Award at the 2016 Black Hills Film Festival at the US Premiere. An official selection at twelve festivals in the US, Canada, and Europe, it is currently streaming. Molli has a BS in Business - Marketing from Indiana University and a Teacher’s License in Secondary Education in Social Studies. She owned a yarn shop, which won Best Arts & Crafts store four times. Molli’s husband is from Custer, SD. Molli continues to travel the world attending film festivals and is currently working in documentary film. She joined the BHFF Board in 2024.

Brian Ellis

TREASURER

Brian has a Bachelors of Arts majoring in animation. He has a basic knowledge of filmmaking, loves being behind a camera, and working with technology. Brian enjoys learning about 3D modeling and studying animation frame by frame. He wants to learn more about the process of filmmaking to help bridge his gap in knowledge about making a good film/animation/video game.

Ryan Hall

BOARD MEMBER

Ryan portrays the face of the Black Hills Film Festival in advertising and as the MC. He also helps with the website, marketing, and social media. After deciding to pursue his love of film in South Dakota, Ryan produced a low-budget feature called Dust of War which gained international distribution. He is a producer on the feature film Tater Tot and Patton which opened the 2018 BHFF and won Best Feature Film. In addition to features, Ryan has produced 5 award-winning short films. He works for a Marketing and Design company, Evergreen Media in Rapid City.

Randal Iverson

BOARD MEMBER

Randal owns Iverson Productions LLC - a small production house located in South Dakota. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from Black Hills State University and years of experience with commercial and documentary production in both still and motion. He is used to wearing many different hats, producing, directing, cinematography, sound, editing and stills. Some of the companies he has worked for include ABC, PBS News Hour, McDonald’s and Walmart. Randal loves telling unique stories and sharing them with the world.

Mato Abourezk

BOARD MEMBER

Mato is from South Dakota and a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe. Mato was born with Cerebral palsy and found films and television as a way to deal with recovery from his surgeries. Wanting to provide resources that he didn’t have access to growing up, Mato founded a production company Strong Bear Media, LLC that focuses on empowering mid western filmmakers where he serves as president and works as a Producer/Filmmaker. He’s also worked with an LA based non-profit Movikarma where he learned how non-profits organizations work. He has also worked in partnership with the likes of; TIME Studios, Invent TV, and HBO, through these partnerships he honed his producing and artistic craft. He is currently working on a documentary.

STAFF

Staff

Chris VanNess Executive Director

PANEL MODERATOR

Panel Moderator

Alicia Garcia

Lawyer & News Anchor

Alicia anchors KOTA Territory News and has been part of the KOTA Territory News team for over 25 years. She is also a practicing lawyer in Rapid City, with a special interest in problems affecting consumers. In October 2024, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) recognized Alicia's contribution to local news by inducting her into its Silver Circle Honor Society.