Alright now, coming up for some breath. In the last five days we’ve screened “After the Factory” in five cities– Lodz, Krakow and Warsaw in Poland, followed by quick jaunts to Berlin and Amsterdam.
The Poland events and screenings were great. Aside from the fact that at all three dates we screened to a packed house, the most substantial takeaway are the conversations following each screening. Which is kind of lucky because that was the primary reason for getting on the road to begin with. Seeing “After the Factory” in a dark room with a bunch of people is cool (especially when it plays off of a blu-ray disc) but it gets exponentially more impactful when you can then chat in the same room with all them afterwards. Those conversations are what are making this worth it.
In Poland most particularly, and sure, in Berlin and Amsterdam as well, lots and lots of people focus on the idea of developing Lodz and Detroit’s economy via the creative sector. And rightfully so. Let’s be honest, both cities have birthed a middle class from factory jobs and not adults sitting in front of Apple computers designing typefaces. Which brings up an important point of the film, the tour, and all of those discussions after the screenings: it’s not ALL about the creative sector. It’s just that the creative sector can play a substantial role as part of a much larger growth strategy that includes succinct long-range political strategy, small business generation and growth, corporate activity and resources, urban core development, quality education systems and so forth. It’s easy to criticize the creative sector as a viable engine for growth alone because it won’t save much in and of itself, but right now in a day and age where practically everything is online in some capacity, there are ways Detroit and Lodz can leverage a global trend and employ some people. The wages that those employees earn will inject resources at core levels of the city providing more funds for basic services that we all stand to benefit from. This is a good thing.
Then, of course, a general point of discussion is the idea of making a hopeful film versus a more sad– or what many of those same people would call a realistic– film. Most folks think it’s inspiring to see a hopeful piece. Many have approached us saying the film helps put things in perspective or gets them vocalizing components of their own potential. Others think it’s refreshing to see the sweeter side of the story because it so rarely gets face time in the media machine. But inevitably there is the conversation discussing the idea that making a positive film is ridiculous given the two city’s current state. Which is kind of interesting because it’s a valid assertion. It’s just that we made a conscious decision to create a hopeful piece. But that shouldn’t be considered a bad thing.
I like to substantiate the hopeful nature of this film through the way I was parented as a little whipper snapper. Whenever I got in trouble my Mom would always say, “Philip, you’re doing bad things, but you’re not a bad kid.” With Detroit and Lodz, yes, these are cities that have fallen victim to terrible actions and neglect, but that doesn’t mean we have to write-off everything else. “After the Factory” takes that route. We are investigating the constructively positive actions these cities are taking against all odds. Hopefully it’ll inspire others to do the same, or to just generally get people talking about these kinds of issues, which leads to more calculated action that results in constructive solutions.
We screened in Amsterdam last night at a really beautiful theatre. More like a theatre and cafe. Below are three photos I did not take that give a sense of the place. From left to right, a historical shot from an unknown year, kind of looks like the 60s though. The middle shot is of the main screening auditorium. Far right displays the cafe side. This place, I’ll have you know, is run by students. In Detroit, it’d be kind of cool if CCS did something like this, with a bit of local initiative and cultural nuances, don’t you think? Or the DC3? Dynamite.
So anyway. We’ll rest in Amsterdam for the next couple days and will screen in Heerlen on Wednesday. We’re doing a double feature with the good folks at SocialBeta and a film they’ve been working on called “Beta City Detroit.” They have spent time in Detroit a bit and were participants in the Rust Belt to Artist Belt Conference last April. So that’ll be fun to see some more friends and keep the discussion going.
For now, a little rest and cafe seats will do.
