ODD HOURS, NO PAY, COOL HAT follows the inspiring journey of remarkable neighbors whose help you hopefully never need - volunteer firefighters - as they encounter heartbreaking challenges and exhilarating triumphs to fulfill a single mission: serving their community.

Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade are proudly hosting the only advance screening of this documentary outside of North America prior to general release. Come engage with your local volunteers and see how they serve the community. This informative event will provide you with an insight into what it is to be a volunteer firefighter and the types of events they encounter when the sirens sound.

ODD HOURS, NO PAY, COOL HAT takes viewers into the heart of the volunteer fire service, and by extension on a journey through the many facets of America. Locations like California’s wine (and wildfire) country, a small Nebraska farming community, and an Orthodox Jewish enclave of New York set the backdrop for a series of stories about service, personal growth, and finding purpose. Together they convey the depth, diversity, and critical role volunteer fire departments play across the country.

Told through an unexpected cast of characters, the film challenges stereotypes and preconceptions at every turn. Barbara is a beloved grandma by day and a badass EMT by night. Madely, a Salvadoran immigrant, shows what teenagers are capable of when given the opportunity. For Jaime, the volunteer fire service saved his life, and he now wants to pass on his lessons and legacy to his sons and grandson.

At a fragile and fractured point in American history, the film is entertaining, hopeful, and optimistic. It suggests that when it comes to the most desperate and important moments of our lives, we will drop everything and come together to help our neighbors.