BLUE DEATH: THE 1918 INFLUENZA IN MONTANA, 56min., USA
Directed by Dee Garceau
At first Montanans were not alarmed; influenza came and went with the seasons. But this virus was lethal. The 1918 influenza killed more people than WWI & WWII combined. This film explores six individual stories of how Montanans met this public health crisis. People helped each other in unexpected ways. What was the balance of trauma and resilience?

https://1918mtinfluenza.com/
https://facebook.com/docfilm1918mtflu
https://instagram.com/1918flumontana.docfilm

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
The questions that gave rise to this film came to me during the winter of 2020 during Covid lockdown. I needed a way to get past the isolation and worry of those months, and knew that something creative would be the path forward. So I thought, OK, why not investigate the last historic pandemic, the 1918 influenza? I formed a research team, and we found six compelling stories from Montana. Those six stories became this film.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Three years, as follows:
Preproduction: Winter 2020 to August 2022.
Production: September – December 2022.
Post Production: February 2023 – December 2023.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Moving, historic.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
I ran out of grant money. I had to work out a 3-year, monthly payment plan with our Associate Producer, and am still paying that off! Meanwhile, she decided to go to medical school and her fiancé is supporting the two of them, so I didn’t leave her in the lurch!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
This was so valuable, to hear how the stories came across. It tells me whether the way we tell stories works, and what larger themes come through.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I had a successful career as a History Professor, but often felt out of place in academia. When I reached my fifties, I reflected on how I do history: I tell stories based on firsthand evidence. I realized how often I pictured things vividly while researching, and how I focused not on “dates and names,” but on the challenges and connections that move us. I wanted to be Ken Burns.
So I began writing grants and making doc films. I discovered that I felt completely at home in the world when making a doc film. I brought college students into the mix by teaching doc filmmaking courses at Rhodes College with a history research component. The students grabbed up the process and owned their work. I love the collaboration and the creativity we bring to stories that are grounded in real world evidence.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The Shawshank Redemption. Probably because reruns were always on, but those reruns held me every time! That film is great storytelling with great acting.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I would love for festival organizers to add the perk of connecting festival winners with likely distributors. As an independent filmmaker here in Montana, I’m not sure where to turn for distribution. Educational distributors? Doc Film distributors?

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Film Freeway is super convenient and very professional. Thank you guys!

10. What is your favorite meal?
Grilled cheese on whole grain bread with tomato soup. Comfort food!

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I might do my next doc on smokejumpers in the northern Rockies. I’d like to focus on the brotherhood/sisterhood of wildland firefighters. How these men and women bond in the crucible of intense, dangerous work, and form lifelong friendships that sustain each other long after they leave the ranks of jumpers. The primal drama of fire and the natural beauty of the region form powerful backdrops to these stories.