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Seven films produced by Montana students received regional awards at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences annual ceremony last week. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is a nonprofit organization that recognizes outstanding achievement, and the regional Northwest Chapter has a category for emerging filmmakers. MAPS Media Institute, a Montana nonprofit […]

RONAN — On May 10, local students completed a six-week long MAPS Media Institute Class called “Bringing Music to Life” where they wrote, acted in, and directed their music video “Rain.” To lead their Flathead Reservation and Lake County students, MAPS partnered with Salish & Blackfeet hip-hop artist Shadow Devereaux and Montana filmmaker Colter Olmstead.

When Helena College staff read the National Endowment for the Humanities Notice of Funding Opportunity for Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges, it seemed that the stars were aligned for the college to pursue this grant.

MAPS Media Institute classes continue this fall with exciting selections in design, film, music, and new technologies. Fall is looking bright for MAPS students, and it isn’t just because their free-of-charge media arts classes will all be in-person. MAPS Fall line-up offers students the chance to work with new instructors, learn new skills, and create

HARLEM — Some students at Harlem High School along the Hi-Line are raising awareness about Native American culture through film. “Waking the Generations” is a film by current and former students that debuted at the high school on September 22 as part of Native American Week at the school. The film touches on a number

When MAPS Media Institute film instructor Dan Molloy worked with Thompson Falls High School students to create their film “Dragonfly” in a one-week intensive workshop, he knew the students were creating something uniquely powerful. The student filmmakers communicated a StephenKing-like internal drama which resonated on different levels—a teenager’s perspective on the global pandemic; the isolation caused by bullying; commentary on teen suicide.

A small group of Thompson Falls High School (TFHS) students began their summer break by diving into the world of filmmaking. In partnership with MAPS Media Institute, a nonprofit organization based out of Bitterroot Valley, students had the opportunity to participate in a five-day filmmaking camp. With assistance from MAPS film instructor Dan Molloy, the

Amilia Blackcrow, who will be a junior at Harlem High School next year, is the winner of the prestigious 2021 Media Arts in the Public Schools (MAPS) Media Institute Jake Rowley Merit Award. Dru Carr, Director of Programming at MAPS Media Institute, was on hand from Hamilton to present the award at a luncheon on

Who is MAPS? MAPS, originally named Media Arts in the Public Schools, started in 2004 as an after-school and summer media arts program in the Bitterroot Valley. This Montana nonprofit is a National Arts and Humanities Youth Programs awardee, an award which has allowed them to expand to several communities across Montana.  What is a MAPSter? While a MAPSter

As high schools across the country finish a historic school year, a group of students from Ronan High School set out to document the coronavirus pandemic from their perspective. From the return to in-person school to glimpses of teen romance, these students share how COVID-19 has changed everything for them and their peers. This collection