A film produced in a collaborative course with Journalism and Media Arts students at the University of Montana is an official selection of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and four other festivals. “Tomorrow’s Town Today” tells the story of high school seniors in Colstrip, Montana as they, and their town, try to discover their futures.
Directed by senior Halley Linscheid and produced by alumna Matti Olson, the film reveals the promise and the peril of a town built around the coal industry. Students traveled to Colstrip several times in the Spring 2023 semester to document the major events and day-to-day life of the eastern Montana town. The film closely follows high schoolers through sports, home life and the prom as they decide what comes after graduation.
Journalism Professor Denise Dowling and Media Arts Professor Ryan Weibush taught the documentary film production course in the collaboration between the schools. Dowling said it was fascinating to watch the students work together, each bringing their backgrounds and sensibilities.
“Journalism students focused on truth-telling and news value while Media Arts students brought their creativity and visual design to the course,” Dowling said. “The students very much learned from each other and the resulting film is a fabulous blend.”
The film was selected as part of the Made In Montana film strand at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival scheduled for February 16-25, 2024. It has also been accepted to the Berlin Indie Film Festival, the Bozeman International Film Festival, the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest and the Winterland Film Festival in Whitefish.
Montana Journalism 