It’s more than just community cinema—it’s turning into a world-class film festival…
“This is so weird,” Jessica King says to her husband, David, and they both laugh.
“We’re always very comfortable behind the camera, and I’ve had empathy for the people who are on camera,” adds David, “and now I can kinda feel what that’s like.”
For the Kings, being behind the camera is more their speed, especially for David, whose storied and expansive career in film encapsulated everything from producer, director, and even a script supervisor.
“Well, when I was growing up, I watched Little House on the Prairie, and I thought it was the best show in the world,” David says. “I wanted to go to Hollywood and make quality family-oriented programming.”
Thirty years of David’s 40-year career were spent working in Hollywood, and chances are good you’ve heard of (and likely watched) some of his work, which includes his tenure as Vice President of Production at Parking Lot Productions, producing and directing 52 episodes of “What a Relief!” not to mention working on TV shows like Chasing Fames, NatGeo TV’s Rock Stars, Laws of Chance, and even working with Disney.
“I was the production manager of the animation McGee and Me…so McGee and Me, in a way, made it possible for me to work at Disney because it got me into the animation side of things,” he admits.
But after thirty years in Hollywood, it was time for a change, and David made what some might consider a surprising move to Montana. For David, it was really the only choice he could see himself making at the time.
“So I moved here to be closer to my mom because she was getting on, and I knew we didn’t have much longer. You know, instead of seeing her once or twice a year, I was seeing her much more often, and so that was great. And she died three years after I moved here. I also was tired of the rat race in Hollywood. It’s a rat race down there.”
Now, along with his wife Jessica and their two children, David lives in Polson, Montana, where he still makes every effort to write and produce film content for a variety of businesses, as well as directing his own passion projects. And when things get quiet, he and Jessica both run the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest (FLIC).
"...friendships take root between screenings as film lovers from across the globe converge in Polson to connect over their mutual love of independent cinema."
From its humble beginnings thirteen years ago, FLIC is a non-profit film festival that showcases full-length feature and documentary films, animation, shorts, indie films, and international movies. From homegrown, made-in-Montana masterpieces to buzz-worthy international films from 18 countries, the film festival is growing in stature and attracting more and more people to Polson every winter.
Dozens of filmmakers will make the trek to Polson to participate in the festival in person this year, reports the Char-Koosta News. FLIC had earned a solid reputation for its attentive audience attendees, who enthusiastically support independent films and those who produce them. Spirited discussions between audience members and filmmakers cap off most screening blocks, and friendships take root between screenings as film lovers from across the globe converge in Polson to connect over their mutual love of independent cinema.
The event—with all of its quirks and celebrations and enthusiasm—has now amassed a following, bringing together filmmakers and film lovers in a way that many of the larger film festivals are unable to do. Whether it’s some of the top selections of 2025’s festival, which featured films about buffalo being returned to ancestral Blackfoot territory, a butterfly’s journey, or the Holocaust survivor who became the Kennedy’s personal photographer, each film is thoughtfully selected.
And the praise for FLIC is plentiful.
“What a pleasure it was to be in this festival and to visit Polson.”
“You can tell they truly care about the films, filmmakers, and their community,” writer, director, and producer Melissa Goad is quoted as saying on the FLIC website. “What a pleasure it was to be in this festival and to visit Polson.”
For David and Jessica, gratitude connects them with their community and their faith. But it also shores up the knowledge that this film festival—the little fest that could, so to speak—does hold so much value to so many.
“It’s amazing to me that a filmmaker would travel across the globe to come to our little film festival,” says David. “We’re not Sundance—but we have a reputation. The reputation is that there are audiences of local community members at our festival who love film. It’s like Thanksgiving. Family gathers from all around the country…all these perspectives, but we still love each other, and we can find common points of connection with anybody, really.”
For members like you.
Because what we do pays dividends.
