Storm Lake

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Storm Lake

2021

1h 25m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Dark clouds hang over the cornfields of Storm Lake, Iowa, which has seen its fair share of change in the 40 years since Big Agriculture came to town. Farmers blow their life savings on new equipment they hope will keep their livelihoods intact. Migrant workers flock here--welcome and not--for their slice of the American Dream. The people of Storm Lake confront a changing and precarious existence. Enter: Art Cullen and his family members who deliver local news and editorials on a shoestring budget for their 3,000 readers. This paper means a fighting chance for their beloved hometown, and by hook or by crook, they'll make the most of it. There's simply too much at stake.

David Rooney

The Hollywood Reporter

Jun 28, 2021

A vital celebration of the role of community-based news gathering at a time when media revenues are way down and the credibility of the press has taken a hammering across much of the country.

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Phil Guie

Film-Forward.com

Apr 17, 2022

4.5/5

In some of the most telling moments, we observe the trust between the paper and its readership, even among those with differing political opinions who nevertheless rely on it to keep up on whats happening in the community.

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Loren King

Newport This Week (RI)

Dec 6, 2021

Storm Lake is an understated but urgent paean to old-fashioned local journalism as vital to the lifeblood of the communities it serves.

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Ricardo Gallegos

Shuffle Online

Nov 12, 2021

A pleasant documentary that focuses on the power of journalism to create change.

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Stephen Silver

Broad Street Review

Oct 29, 2021

4/5

Not much of what Storm Lake has to stay about the plight of newspapers is particularly new at this point, but Art Cullen proves a fantastic documentary protagonist

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Evan Dossey

Midwest Film Journal

Oct 26, 2021

Touching documentary about the importance of a dying profession.

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Jerry Risius

Director

Beth Levison

Director

Art Cullen

Actor

Beth Levison

Producer

Katy Drake Bettner

Executive Producer

Sam Bisbee

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Dark clouds hang over the cornfields of Storm Lake, Iowa, which has seen its fair share of change in the 40 years since Big Agriculture came to town. Farmers blow their life savings on new equipment they hope will keep their livelihoods intact. Migrant workers flock here--welcome and not--for their slice of the American Dream. The people of Storm Lake confront a changing and precarious existence. Enter: Art Cullen and his family members who deliver local news and editorials on a shoestring budget for their 3,000 readers. This paper means a fighting chance for their beloved hometown, and by hook or by crook, they'll make the most of it. There's simply too much at stake.

Director: Jerry Risius, Beth Levison
Producer: Beth Levison
Production Co: Good Gravy Films, ITVS, Foothill Productions, Corporation of Public Broadcasting, Catapult Film Fund, Park Pictures, Ford Foundation - Just Films, The Fledgling Fund
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 25m

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