Filmmaker to Discuss, Screen ‘America’s Deadliest Battle’ Documentary at UM
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MISSOULA – An independent filmmaker will help set the historical framework for an upcoming exhibition at the University of Montana that explores Montana’s role in World War I.
Jo Throckmorton will present “America’s Deadliest Battle: An Experiential Film of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive,” at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, as part of UM’s 2017-18 President’s Lecture Series.
The presentation, which is co-sponsored by the Montana Museum of Art & Culture, will be held in the Montana Theatre of the Performing Arts and Radio-Television Center, adjacent to the MMAC exhibition, “Over There! Montanans and the Great War,” curated by UM art history and criticism Professor H. Rafael Chacόn. The exhibition, which features more than 200 artifacts and works of art, will be open 30 minutes before and after the presentation.
Ahead of the evening lecture and film, Throckmorton also will lead a seminar titled “Missing, Broken and Forgotten: The Never-Ending Challenges of Filmmaking” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Gallagher Business Building Room 123.
Since graduating from Wabash College in 1987, Throckmorton has had a distinguished career as a video producer, director and actor in Bloomington, Indiana. He has won numerous professional awards during the past two decades, including a 2014 nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement by the prestigious Directors Guild of America. His credits as a director include feature films and commercial productions.
Throckmorton teaches media and studio production techniques as an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University. He also conducts seminars and classes on video and filmmaking.
From 1995 to 2005, he worked with a production company in Indianapolis as the creative director and eventually as president before setting out on his own. He now runs his own company, Blue Ace Media.
The American Battle Commission chose Throckmorton to direct a documentary film about the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of June 1918, the largest independent American engagement against the Imperial German Army during the First World War. American soldiers suffered an estimated 110,000 casualties during the offensive, more than 2,300 per day.
Fourteen thousand American soldiers are buried in the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery in France. Most of the actors in the film are from the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, known as the “Old Guard.” The regiment has served since 1784 and is the U.S. Army’s oldest active duty infantry unit.
The American Battle Commission’s deputy secretary and historian Rob Dalessandro advised Throckmorton on the film.
The President’s Lecture Series at UM consists of seven talks throughout the academic year on vital topics by distinguished guest speakers. For more information on the series, click HERE.
“Over There! Montanans and the Great War,” will be on display from Thursday, Sept. 21, to Saturday, Dec. 16. MMAC’s gallery hours are from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The museum is closed Sundays, Mondays and UM holidays, but will open at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, for the presentation. For more information on the exhibition, including other associated events, click HERE.