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: 7pm and 8pm. No Ordinary Time focuses on the overlooked impact of the Spanish Flu pandemic on Montana, one of the hardest hit states with the country’s third-highest mortality rate. The Spanish Flu claimed 1% of Montana’s population (5,000 lives) in 1918-1919. What can we learn from this earlier virus and our successes and missteps in responding to it? 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 summer programs will run for the next two summers, where high school students and recent graduates can learn about local history, filmmaking, and the value of the humanities, while earning college credit. Listen to the student-made podcast exploring their filmmaking experience here: la-grippe! No Ordinary Time has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with MAPS Media Institute and with help from the Montana Historical Society. 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.