Madison Historical Society Hosts Zoom Screening of Documentary

The Madison Historical Society, together with local student filmmakers Garrett Samodel and Connor Wilke of Ciné Verité Productions, will premiere its short-subject documentary via Zoom on Friday, November 13 at 7 PM. The film captures the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on Madison during Connecticut's mandatory statewide shutdown.

This short documentary film features key members of the community including business owners, frontline workers, school administrators, elected officials, civic and religious leaders, and students impacted by this crisis.

"Documentary films are a powerful medium that often provide windows into the real-life achievements and struggles of ordinary people in extraordinary times," said MHS Executive Director Jennifer Simpson. "Event-based documentary work is usually filmed after a notable event has occurred. Filming as the crisis unfolded allowed us to document the thoughts and feelings of individuals as they experienced a once-in-a lifetime event." she added.

Turning the Tide captures the personal stories of Madison people from various walks of life. The film explores the challenges of religious leaders ministering to congregants in isolation; the collaborations of the faculty and staff of Daniel Hand High School to develop distance learning programs while ensuring that students continued to receive basic resources; the reflections of a COVID-19 survivor detailing his dark days in ICU at Yale-New Haven Hospital; and the poignant hopes and fears of graduating high school students.

The Madison Historical Society strives to tell Madison's stories in new and creative ways. Through this short documentary film, we hope to convey how the pandemic changed our lives and how one shoreline town responded to the health and economic crisis faced by people everywhere.

To register for the online screening, visit https://www.madisonhistory.org.

The Madison Foundation and Connecticut Humanities provided generous financial support for this project.