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Contagion

Mar 24

2026

The Nickelodeon Columbia, SC

Tickets
with

Destiny Williams, MPH

CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellow, S.C. Department of Public Health

and

Linda J. Bell, MD

Director, Health Programs Branch South Carolina State Epidemiologist S.C. Department of Public Health

and

Marco Tori, MD, MSc LCDR

United States Public Health Service CDC Career Epidemiology Field Officer Medical Consultant, S.C. Department of Public Health

Contagion— Nothing Spreads Like Fear.

Contagion screenwriter Scott Z. Burns worked closely with experts from the World Health Organization and the CDC, resulting in a film widely praised for its realistic depiction of viral transmission, contact tracing, vaccine development, and public health response. Upon release, critics applauded its intelligence and restraint.

The film gained renewed relevance in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming one of the most-streamed titles worldwide and frequently cited by scientists as one of the most accurate portrayals of a pandemic ever put on screen. Today, Contagion stands as both a riveting thriller and a powerful reflection on science, trust, and preparedness in times of crisis.

This special screening celebrates Contagion not just as a thriller, but as a powerful example of how cinema can illuminate real-world science, making it an ideal selection for the 2026 National Evening of Science on Screen.

There will be a panel of epidemiology experts following the film.

This event is part of the National Evening of Science on Screen. Learn more.

The Nickelodeon Columbia, SC

Tickets

Film Synopsis

Director Steven Soderbergh’s disaster thriller follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days.

When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her husband (Matt Damon) that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a worldwide pandemic erupts. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.