Filmmaker chronicles six-man football

The film begins by juxtaposing Louisiana State University’s “Death Valley” — the raucous 92,000-seat stadium where the Tigers play in the Southeastern Conference — with the windswept, bleak plains of north-central Montana.

This brings Whitefish native Kurt Markus’ new documentary film, “Standing Room Only,” to its setting.

In the 97-minute film, Markus explores six-man football for two teams near Great Falls. Six-man football, in Markus’ opinion, was a step into the past.

“It reminded me of high school football back in Whitefish in 1965,” the Whitefish High School graduate said. “Back to pre-coaches-with-headsets, when it was a seasonal sport. There is a certain kind of purity to that.”

Several dozen Flathead Valley residents showed up for a recent screening of “Standing Room Only” in the Museum at Central School to offer insight and thoughts on the documentary. No other local screenings are planned. 

The film follows the Geraldine/Highwood Rivals (town populations 270 and 189, respectively) and the Big Sandy Pioneers (town population 610) as they fight their way deep into the football playoffs in 2012, only for each to be soundly beaten by the eventual state champion Hot Springs Savage Heat. 

After final editing, Markus plans to present the film to the communities.

With the help of director of photography and digital editor Amanda Guy, Markus filmed thousands of hours of footage following the teams from preseason practice to crushing losses at the hands of Hot Springs. 

The Rivals lost 45-13 in the opening game in 2012 against the Savage Heat.

The documentary is Markus’ second film. The first was a documentary following John Mellencamp on tour. 

Markus is an accomplished still photographer known for his gritty, realistic portrayals of rural life in black and white. He first achieved success with his photos of the American cowboy. Since then, his work has expanded to travel, sports, fashion, landscapes and celebrity. Markus dove into filmmaking a decade ago, filming music videos and then the Mellencamp movie.

“Standing Room Only,” however, didn’t begin as a film chronicling the lives of small-town youths.

“It actually started as a screenplay,” Markus said. “I had an idea that an actor in New York hit bottom and comes to Montana to coach a six-man football team.”

While researching his screenplay, Markus went to some small schools to watch six-man ball. What he found was a story that captivated him.

He quickly decided this was something he wanted to make a movie about. After thoughtful deliberation, he settled on the Rivals and Pioneers.

Geraldine and Highwood were of particular interest because for decades the two teams from separate towns had been bitter rivals. When high school enrollments slipped and football was placed on the chopping block, the towns decided to combine for a football team, putting rivals on the same team. They switch which town gets to play on its field for home games, but other sports still compete against each other. 

Guy, who helped Markus with all aspects of the film, said the perfect scenario would have been for the Rivals and Pioneers to meet in the six-man championship game.

“Every time they won we were like, ‘Oh my God,’” she said. “It just kept going.”

The two teams Markus and company followed had a banner year. Big Sandy only lost one game in the regular season and Geraldine/Highwood lost two: the opener to Hot Springs and a four-overtime defeat at the hands of Big Sandy. 

That set the stage for six-man playoff drama.

But the meat grinder that was the 2012 Hot Springs football team eventually ended each squad’s championship hopes. Geraldine/Highwood lost to Hot Springs in the semifinal game 53-12 and Big Sandy lost in the championship game 77-0. 

The Savage Heat returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and it didn’t get easier from there.

The movie, even in Markus’ estimation, is still a bit rough. Some cuts and sound editing would benefit the film. He is bringing up a sound editing crew from Bozeman to help with that.

But he has confidence in his film, which has similarities to the 2011 Academy Award-winning football documentary “Undefeated.” In that movie, a crew follows the coach of an inner-city Memphis football team through its many trials and tribulations.

Markus saw “Undefeated” before it made it big at the massive SXSW film and music festival in Austin, Texas.

“It deserved its recognition,” Markus said. “But we kept the cameras out of the players’ homes. I set out to make a football film.”

His films traces not just the practices, the locker room speeches and the game itself, but spends time getting to know the tiny, wheat-belt communities.

Markus’ film is more “Friday Night Lights” than “Monday Night Football,” and he hopes to make a splash when he submits it to the Sundance Film Festival consideration committee.

Markus will have to wait until Dec. 2 when the committee decides whether “Standing Room Only” is worthy.

“I’m nervous,” he said. “I’ve been nervous for three years. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.