No Ordinary Time

15 North Ewing Street,Helena MT 59601

12 October, 2021

Description

High school students explore the 1918 Spanish Flu in Montana to come to terms with their own experience of the current pandemic. Screenings will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers. There are 2 screenings to choose from: 7and 8pm. No Ordinary Time focuses on the overlooked impact of the Spanish Flu pandemic on Montana. What can we learn from this earlier virus and our successes and missteps in responding to it? Montana was one of the hardest hit states, which claimed 1% of Montana’s population (5,000 lives) in 1918-1919, the country’s third-highest mortality rate. Working with local historians, filmmakers, professors, and health officials, students produced this film in a 2-week immersive summer-bridge program offered through Helena College. Similar free summer programs will run for the next two years at the college where high school students and recent graduates can learn about local history, filmmaking, the value of the humanities on the job market, and earn college credit. No Ordinary Time has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: A Bridge to Humanities Pathways in College: Using Film Production to Explore Local Culture and History. These highly competitive grants are designed to advance curricular innovations and enhance educational resources. Helena College was one of 21 colleges and universities nationwide to receive this three-year grant.