Turning the Tide: Madison and COVID-19
The Madison Historical Society, together with local student filmmakers Garrett Samodel and Connor Wilke of Ciné Verité Productions, documented 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. 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.
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.
At the Madison Historical Society, our mission to document the lived experience of our community encouraged us to take a leading role in capturing this history as it happened. 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.
Film Teaser
Click on the video link below to view a teaser from our upcoming short film.
Film Credits
A Madison Historical Society Production in association with Ciné Verité Productions
Executive Producer
Director
Director of Photography
Editorial Consultant