Mike Emmons • Programming Director
A lifelong Missoulian, Mike Emmons is the programming director of both MTFF and the Roxy Theater. Mike has a degree in English from Northwestern University, where his passion for film was first fostered at NU’s Block Cinema. A lover of dogs, beer, books, and of course, movies, Mike has worked at the Roxy for six years.
David Mills-Low • Film Festival Operations Manager
David’s resume is kinda wacky: 24 years working in theatre, a couple masters degrees, just shy of a dozen student and indy films, pizza delivery, landscaping, commercials casting, stay-at-home dad, and Customer Service Representative in Electronics at Kmart. After spending last year as Traffic Coordinator for the film festivals at the Roxy, David is excited to be taking on the role of Film Festivals Operations Manager and can’t wait to begin managing operations. His favorite operation is probably an appendectomy. Please feel free to reach out should you need any assistance concerning our many festivals, especially if operations are involved.
Mike Smith • Assistant Programming Director
Mike Smith is the Assistant Programming Director at the Roxy Theater. In 2018, he moved across the country from New York to Missoula to take on a job working in commercial radio. Then, he left radio behind to pursue a more profitable line of business: independent movie theaters! Smith is an avid film fan, a podcasting extraordinaire, and spent so much time at the Roxy during his first few years in town that they eventually had to offer him a job. He is excited to be part of the Montana Film Festival’s programming team, and looks forward to seeing all of the incredible filmmakers and craft on display at this year’s MTFF.
Lizzie Archer • Film Festival Coordinator
Lizzie currently lives in Missoula with her number one tail waggin’ friend, Marvin-Man. Somewhere in between dancing professionally, farming full time, and the pandemic, Lizzie’s path led her to The Roxy Theater. Lizzie works closely with local modern dance company, Bare Bait Dance, and is going on five years of programming their International Screendance Film Festival, Kinetoscope. At The Roxy you can find Lizzie working front of house, projecting 35mm films, or any of the many random tasks that go into The Roxy’s five highly celebrated film festivals (planning a parade and painting cardboard are her top two favs).
Mike Steinberg • Executive Director of the Roxy Theater
Mike Steinberg is the Executive Director of the Roxy Theater, the mothership of the Montana Film Festival. Steinberg has over 30 years experience in filmmaking as a producer, writer-director, cinematographer and editor. He has worked with numerous film festivals as a producer, programmer and consultant. His own films have earned placement in national film festivals including AFI/Discoveryʼs Silverdocs (now AFIDOCS), Portland International Film Festival, Malta Film Festival, Big Muddy Film Festival, and St Louis International. He lives in Missoula, MT, where he writes, and makes films and live performances.
Josh Taira • Art Director
Josh Taira is the art director for the Roxy Theater, Montana Film Festival, International Wildlife Film Festival, and Kiddomatic Film Festival. In addition to the design work for the Roxy Theater and its many programs, he also does freelance illustration under the name Daruma Party. He watches a ton of anime, reads lots of romcom manga, plays lots of FFXIV, and has an insatiable hunger for tuna onigiri from Japanese 7-Elevens.
Sarah Ferguson • Communications & Membership Director
Sarah Ferguson (known by everyone as Fergie) is the Communications and Membership Director at the Roxy. Fergie hails from Minneapolis where she worked in copywriting and creative in the advertising industry until that sucked the soul from her body. She’s called Missoula home since 2014 and the Roxy home for just as long. She wears a lot of hats for the team including producing many festivals and heading up the Roxy’s marketing efforts. Movies, music, books, and tea seem to take up a lot of her time and brain space. You’ll often see her sprinting around the hallway and lobby, fumbling through intros, running a Q&A, and generally having a good time. She’s also a host of our radio show, Roxy Radio on 101.5.
Ian Carstens • Website Administrator
Ian Carstens manages the sites for IWFF, Kiddomatic, Queerwest and the Montana Film Festival. He is a filmmaker, writer and curator with a BA in Art Theory and Criticism currently based in the occupied lands known as the Midwest. After moving to Missoula in 2017, working for the Roxy Film Academy, the Roxy Theater itself, IWFF and MTFF (and now working remotely) there is no doubt that the Roxy continues to be his community cinema.
Ella Steinberg • Intern
Ella Steinberg is an intern for the Montana Film Festival. She is in her final year at the Montana State University Bozeman film program. She developed a love for film early in life as she was raised by a filmmaker and cinephile. She has worked on student films and plays for the past few years, fulfilling the roles of makeup artist, costume designer, marketing, production designer, DP, actress, and PA. She enjoys being in front of and behind the camera and has acted in several short and feature length films shot in Montana. Her dream is to direct creative projects like music videos or create films with intricate production design like Barbie or many of Wes Anderson’s films. She is the production designer for the senior student film Cowgirls of the Fall semester 2023.
Kal Bailey • Intern
Kal is a filmmaker based in Missoula, working in many facets at The Roxy Theater. He pursues independent filmmaking and intends to use his knowledge, skills, time, and resources to support and champion other filmmakers of his generation in the Pacific Northwest and beyond expressing themselves creatively through cinema. He strives to help create an ethical, welcoming, safe, and sustainable work environment. When not watching, talking, projecting, or making films, Kal is probably hanging around with his beautiful, fluffy, toasted-marshmallow-colored Akita, Olaf.
