Storm Lake

Indie Lens Pop-Up ~ Storm Lake

Thursday, November 4, 2021 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Library Hall
Filmmakers Jerry Risius and Beth Levison take us inside a family-run newspaper keeping local journalism alive. The Steamboat Pilot & Today continues the conversation.

Masks are required to attend this live event in Library Hall.

Join us for a free preview screening of the new documentary film Storm Lake followed by a community conversation with the Steamboat Pilot & Today news team.

Storm Lake, Iowa, has seen its fair share of changes 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 while migrant workers flock here, welcome and not, to achieve the American Dream. Corporate, political, and environmental forces—and even a global pandemic—threaten to overwhelm the already precarious existence of the people in Storm Lake. Nearly 2,000 local papers have shuttered in the last 20 years, a crisis accelerated by COVID-19. The stakes have been especially high for the Cullen family; they comprise half of The Times’ 10-person team. Against tight deadlines and slimmer margins, the Cullens report on their town, and wonder how the paper will survive as readers cease to support journalism like they used to. 

Storm Lake is co-presented by Steamboat Pilot & Today, the newspaper that has served Steamboat Springs and Routt County since 1885.

About Indie Lens Pop-Up

Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS's Independent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations together to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics and social issues, to family and community relationships. Make friends, share stories, and join the conversation. For more information, visit pbs.org/independentlens/indie-lens-pop-up.